Trump Pulls National Guard From Democrat-Run Cities After Court Defeats, Warns Troops Could Return

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump announced Dec. 31 that he will withdraw federally controlled National Guard troops from Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, ending months of contentious deployments tied to civil unrest and immigration enforcement.

Trump said the decision was made “despite the fact that CRIME has been greatly reduced” by the presence of the Guard, adding that the federal government could return “in a much different and stronger form” if crime surges again. He sharply criticized Democratic mayors and governors who opposed the deployments, calling them “greatly incompetent.”

The move follows a divided ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 23 that blocked the administration from deploying National Guard troops in Chicago to assist federal immigration agents. The court said the federal government failed to show clear legal authority under Title 10 to use the Guard for domestic law enforcement in Illinois, with Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch dissenting.

Legal challenges also curtailed deployments in California and Oregon. A federal judge ordered the California National Guard removed from Los Angeles earlier this month, and the Ninth Circuit later restored control of the Guard to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Oregon officials said Guard troops sent toward Portland were never lawfully deployed.

Democratic governors welcomed Trump’s announcement, saying court rulings forced the withdrawal. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said the president was “forced to stand down,” while California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the deployment left “lasting scars” in Los Angeles communities.

Trump has argued that federalizing the Guard was necessary to protect federal personnel and property amid resistance to immigration enforcement. While courts have limited those deployments in states, a federal appeals court has allowed National Guard troops to remain in Washington, D.C., where the president has broader authority as commander-in-chief of the district’s Guard.

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