Overview
- President Trump announced on Dec. 31 that Guard units are being removed from the three cities and warned they could return “in a much different and stronger form” if crime rises.
- The Supreme Court last week left in place an order blocking the Chicago activation, while federal judges in California and Oregon halted deployments in Los Angeles and Portland.
- The Justice Department stopped contesting a California ruling returning the Guard to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s control, and Los Angeles troops had already left the streets by Dec. 15.
- U.S. Northern Command previously reported limited activations — roughly 300 in the Chicago area and about 100 each in Portland and Los Angeles — with Chicago and Portland troops never deployed on the streets.
- Separate deployments and lawsuits continue elsewhere, including a force of more than 2,000 in Washington, D.C., legal challenges by the D.C. attorney general, and locally supported operations such as New Orleans’ New Year’s security detail.