By Dalena Reporters l January 1, 2026
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, declared that his administration is withdrawing National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, amid mounting legal challenges and political resistance to their deployment even as he warned that federal forces could be redeployed “in a much different and stronger form” if local crime increases.
In a social media post, Trump said the Guard removal reflects progress in crime reduction and the resolution of operational issues related to their controversial presence in the three major cities. “We are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, despite the fact that CRIME has been greatly reduced by having these great Patriots in those cities, and ONLY by that fact,” he wrote, adding that troops would return should crime surge again.
The deployments, which began in 2025, were framed by the Trump administration as part of a broader crackdown on crime and protection of federal assets and personnel, particularly in areas where local authorities had pushed back against federal immigration enforcement operations. Trump’s supporters have argued that the presence of National Guard troops buttressed local law enforcement and deterred criminal activity.
However, the deployments drew intense legal opposition from state and local leaders, particularly in Democratic-led cities that challenged the authority of the federal government to federalize Guard units for domestic operations. A December Supreme Court order blocked the administration’s effort to deploy Guard troops in the Chicago area, underlining the judiciary’s skepticism over the legal basis for such actions.
Critics, including city and state officials, have maintained that the Guard deployments represented federal overreach and politicization of military resources. Legal rulings in Illinois, Oregon and California constrained the administration’s ability to maintain federal control over Guard units, prompting many of the troops to return to state control before the formal withdrawal announcement.
Local leaders in the affected cities also disputed Trump’s assertions regarding crime reduction, with officials highlighting local policing strategies and community programs as the key drivers of improved safety metrics. In Portland, authorities noted that Guard members were never actively deployed on patrol due to legal injunctions, challenging the president’s narrative about their role in crime trends.
Trump’s statement underscores the ongoing political contention over federal intervention in domestic security and the tension between executive authority and state control over National Guard units. As of early 2026, the presence of federal forces in domestic law enforcement remains a heated issue in the broader debate over crime, public safety, and the limits of presidential power.
This article is based on verified reporting as of January 1, 2026.