President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his administration is ending, for now, efforts to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland.
The decision followed a series of legal challenges that blocked or limited the deployments in all three cities.
Trump said the move was temporary and signaled that federal forces could return if crime increases.
The deployments were part of a broader strategy tied to immigration enforcement, crime prevention, and responses to protests.
Governors typically control National Guard units, but Trump sought to federalize them over objections from Democratic state and local leaders.
Courts repeatedly ruled against the administration’s efforts, finding that it lacked sufficient authority to deploy troops in the targeted cities.
The Supreme Court in December blocked the deployment of National Guard forces in Illinois, delivering a significant setback to the White House.
Federal judges also barred troops from operating on the streets of Portland and later permanently blocked the deployment there.
In Los Angeles, troops were gradually withdrawn following court rulings that returned control of the Guard to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Trump wrote on social media, “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again - Only a question of time!”
Justice Department lawyers had said the Guard’s mission would focus on protecting federal property and personnel rather than general law enforcement.
Local officials disputed the administration’s claims, pointing to declining crime statistics during the period of legal disputes.
Democratic leaders said the court rulings forced the administration to stand down from what they described as federal overreach.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said the decision showed that efforts to militarize cities with the National Guard had failed in court.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said the troops were never lawfully deployed and welcomed adherence to judicial orders.
Newsom said the return of control over California’s Guard affirmed his position that the federal takeover was illegal.
Trump has framed his crime-focused agenda as central to his second term and as a political strategy ahead of midterm elections.
National Guard deployments continue in other cities, including Washington, D.C., Memphis, and New Orleans, under varying legal and political conditions.