Overview
- In a Truth Social post, the president said units are leaving "for now" and warned they could return in a "much different and stronger form."
- The move came after a Dec. 23 Supreme Court order declined to let the administration deploy Guard troops in Illinois, finding no authority at this stage to "execute the laws" there.
- Federal judges separately ended the Los Angeles operation and cleared a return of California Guard control to Gov. Gavin Newsom, while a judge permanently blocked a Portland deployment.
- Troops had already drawn down: forces left Los Angeles by Dec. 15, and Guard units sent toward Chicago and Portland never patrolled city streets as litigation advanced.
- Other deployments continue or face separate legal and political battles, including a large presence in Washington, D.C., and a state-requested Guard mission in New Orleans during holiday events.