Trump Quietly Pulls National Guard From Cities

US Northern Command confirms troops have left Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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The Trump administration has pulled federalized National Guard troops from American cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, without much public acknowledgment. The deployments, which at their peak put more than 5,000 Guard members in LA, about 500 in Chicago, and 200 in Portland, officially ended by late January after facing legal constraints and public backlash.

Why it matters

The pullback of federal National Guard troops from these cities marks a reversal of the Trump administration's previous insistence that the troops were needed to deal with out-of-control violence, despite stiff resistance from governors, mayors, and the courts. It highlights the political and legal challenges the administration faced in trying to deploy the Guard for domestic law enforcement purposes.

The details

The Guard members were largely tasked with guarding buildings and performing support duties rather than enforcing laws, which they are largely barred from doing on US soil. The deployments officially ended by late January and cost almost $500 million last year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The retreat follows a December Supreme Court order temporarily blocking the Chicago mission and signaling that the president's power to federalize Guard units is likely limited to "exceptional" situations.

  • The Guard deployments officially ended by late January 2026.
  • In October 2025, President Trump claimed that Portland was "war-ravaged."

The players

US Northern Command

The unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for aerospace, homeland defense, and defense support of civil authorities.

President Trump

The 45th President of the United States, who oversaw the deployment of National Guard troops to several cities.

Retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner

A retired major general who says the administration appeared to underestimate the political and legal blowback to the National Guard deployments.

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What they’re saying

“The troops were 100 percent ineffective at doing what Trump wanted, which was helping control protests linked to his immigration crackdowns.”

— Retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner (The Washington Post)

What’s next

Plans for a rapid-reaction Guard force that could be deployed to sites of unrest nationwide now appear to be on hold, as the White House leans more on ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and other Homeland Security units that face fewer domestic-use restrictions.

The takeaway

The quiet withdrawal of federal National Guard troops from cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland highlights the political and legal challenges the Trump administration faced in trying to deploy the Guard for domestic law enforcement purposes, despite the president's claims of needing them to deal with unrest.