Trump Ends Attempts to Deploy Federal National Guard in Major US Cities
On December 31, 2025, former President Donald Trump ended his attempts to deploy the federal National Guard to Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland. This move followed a ruling by a California court, supported by the Ninth Circuit, which returned control of the National Guard to Governor Gavin Newsom and deemed the prior federal deployment as illegal. The Department of Justice ceased contesting this ruling, leading to the guard reverting to state authority.
Earlier in 2025, deployments began in June in response to protests against ICE raids. The Supreme Court blocked the White House from deploying National Guards in Illinois. Governor Newsom opposed the deployments, describing them as illegal intimidation.
In Washington, D.C., about 350 troops were expected by New Year’s Eve, with over 2,000 deployed since August. A shooting on November 26 left one guard dead and another wounded outside a metro station. A federal appeals court permitted troops to remain in D.C. while a legality panel reviews the situation, offsetting a lower court’s ordered removal.
Trump framed the decision to end attempts as temporary, suggesting on Truth Social a redeployment later in a stronger form.
