What Trump said, and why it matters
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he has abandoned for now his intention to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland after legal obstacles blocked that plan, according to the Associated Press.
In a social media post, Trump wrote: “Regresaremos, quizás de una forma mucho más diferente y fuerte, cuando la delincuencia vuelva a dispararse… Sólo es cuestión de tiempo”.
The legal fights over where Guard troops can be used
The National Guard is typically controlled by governors in their states, the AP reported, and Trump had deployed troops in the three cities against the wishes of state and local officials. AP said Trump had framed the deployments as part of a broader push targeting immigration, crime and protests.
AP reported that Trump has also considered invoking the Insurrection Act to prevent opponents from blocking his plans in court. The AP said he viewed public safety as a crucial issue for next year’s midterm elections.
City officials dispute Trump’s claimed crime drop
Trump asserted that troop presence drove down crime in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, AP reported. But AP said the troops never operated in the streets of Chicago and Portland while legal challenges were being resolved.
In the Chicago case, AP reported, a Justice Department lawyer told the court the mission would be to protect federal property and government agents in the field—not to “resolver todo el crimen en Chicago”.
In Portland, AP reported that the mayor’s office, citing a statement from Keith Wilson, said crime reduction was tied to local police work and public safety programs. In Chicago, AP reported that officials said in a Tuesday statement that the city had 416 homicides in 2025, the lowest total since 2014.
Governors react after Supreme Court and other rulings
AP said the National Guard initiative faced legal challenges at nearly every step. In December, the federal Supreme Court declined to allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard forces in the Chicago metropolitan area as part of its immigration-related offensive. AP said the order was not a final ruling, but it was a significant and unusual setback by the Supreme Court.
AP reported that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on X that Trump “perdió en la corte cuando Illinois se enfrentó a su intento de militarizar las ciudades estadounidenses con la Guardia Nacional. Ahora Trump se ve obligado a retroceder”.
Portland’s deployment blocked by judges
AP reported that in Portland, hundreds of California and Oregon soldiers were deployed, but a federal judge prohibited them from going into the streets. AP said a judge permanently blocked National Guard deployment in Portland in November after a three-day trial.
AP reported that Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said her office had not yet received official notice that the remaining federalized Oregon National Guard troops could return home, adding that the troops were never legally deployed in Portland and that there was no need for their presence. Kotek said that if Trump chose to follow the court orders and demobilize troops, it would be a victory for Oregonians and the rule of law.
How the federalization began in Los Angeles
AP reported that Trump began federalizing National Guard troops in Los Angeles in June, after protesters took to the streets in response to a wave of immigration arrests in the area. AP said Trump deployed around 4,000 soldiers and 700 Marine infantry to protect federal buildings and later to protect federal agents during immigration arrests.
AP said troop numbers gradually declined until only a few hundred remained. It reported that troops were withdrawn from the streets by Dec. 15 after a court ruling ordered control to return to Gov. Gavin Newsom. AP said an appeals court had paused part of that order earlier, leaving control with Trump, and that in a court filing submitted Tuesday, the Trump administration indicated it would no longer seek that pause.
AP reported that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ordered the Trump administration on Wednesday to return National Guard control to Newsom. Newsom said in a social media post that “Lo hemos dicho desde el primer día: la toma federal de la Guardia Nacional de California es ilegal”.
National Guard deployments continue elsewhere
AP said troops would remain in several other cities despite the pause in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland.
It reported that in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit paused in December a lower-court ruling that had ordered an end to National Guard deployments there. AP said those deployments have been in place since August after Trump declared a “crime emergency.”
AP reported that in September Trump ordered National Guard deployment in Memphis, Tennessee. It said a Tennessee judge blocked the use of the National Guard but suspended the blocking decision while the state appealed, allowing the deployment to continue.
And AP reported that about 350 National Guard troops deployed by Trump arrived at New Orleans’ French Quarter on Tuesday, and were expected to remain there until Mardi Gras to help with security. AP said the governor of Louisiana and the city’s mayor supported the New Orleans deployment.
Image note: Not provided in the source materials.