Hundreds of National Guard troops deployed to Portland and Chicago are
being sent home
[November 18, 2025]
By JULIE WATSON
Hundreds of National Guard troops deployed to Chicago and Portland,
Oregon, are being sent home, and those who will remain will continue to
stay off the streets amid court battles over their domestic mission by
the Trump administration, a defense official said Monday.
The withdrawal of soldiers — sent from California and Texas — is part of
a larger change to troop deployments after President Donald Trump began
his immigration crackdown in various cities with Democratic leadership.
The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the issue and
requested anonymity.
U.S. Northern Command said in a statement Sunday it was “shifting and/or
rightsizing” units in Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago, although it
said there would be a “constant, enduring, and long-term presence in
each city."
In the coming days, all 200 California National Guard troops currently
deployed to Portland will be sent home, the official said. The military
also plans to cut the number of Oregon National Guard troops on
deployment there from 200 soldiers to 100, the official said.
About 200 Texas National Guard troops in Chicago also are being sent
home and about 200 soldiers will be on standby at Fort Bliss, an Army
base that stretches across parts of Texas and New Mexico, the official
said.
About 300 Illinois National Guard troops will remain in the Chicago
area, also doing training, but they currently are not legally allowed to
conduct operations with the Department of Homeland Security, the
official said.
The official said the upcoming holiday season may have played a role in
the change in deployments.
Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom,
applauded the return of all California National Guard troops in Oregon,
saying Trump “never should have illegally deployed our troops in the
first place.”
“We’re glad they’re finally coming home,” she wrote in an email. “It’s
long overdue!”
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek called on the Trump administration to demobilize
the remaining 100 troops in her state, as well.
“Members of the Oregon National Guard, who are our friends and
neighbors, have been away from their families and jobs for 50 days on an
unnecessary deployment,” Kotek said in a written statement. "With the
holidays approaching, every single member deserves to go home.”
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said the Trump administration doesn't
communicate its plans with state leaders and was still threatening
to federalize more troops.
“This confirms what we have always known: This is about normalizing
military forces in American cities,” Pritzker spokesman Matt Hill
said in a statement Saturday.
Hill didn't immediately return a message left Monday.
Democratic cities targeted by Trump for military involvement —
including Chicago, which filed a separate lawsuit on the issue
currently before the U.S. Supreme Court — have been pushing back.
They argue the president has not satisfied the legal threshold for
deploying troops and that doing so would violate states’
sovereignty.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut in Portland this month issued a
permanent injunction blocking Trump from deploying troops in the
city, saying he had failed to establish that he was legally entitled
to do so. On Sunday, the administration filed an emergency motion
seeking to put the ruling on hold while it appeals.
Separately, the Trump administration has stepped up immigration
enforcement in Charlotte, North Carolina, expanding an aggressive
campaign that's been spearheaded by U.S. Customs and Border
Protection.
National Guard deployments have been one of the most controversial
initiatives of Trump's second term, demonstrating an expanded
willingness to use the military to accomplish domestic goals.
Troops, including active-duty Marines, were deployed to Los Angeles
during immigration protests earlier this year.
The National Guard was also sent to Washington, D.C., where they
were part of a broader federal intervention that Trump claimed was
necessary because of crime problems.
The deployments later expanded to Portland and Chicago.
Although they don't play a law enforcement role, members of the
National Guard have been tasked with protecting federal facilities,
particularly those run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
About 100 troops who have been in Los Angeles will remain on
deployment there, the defense official said.
_____
AP journalists Chris Megerian in Washington, Gene Johnson in Seattle
and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.
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