Hundreds of National Guard troops dispatched to Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois, from California and Texas in response to protests over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown will return to their home states, a Defense Department official confirmed to CBS News Saturday.
Last month, about 200 federalized California National Guard soldiers were sent to Portland, while another 200 federalized Texas National Guard soldiers were sent to Chicago. According to the official, all those soldiers will now return home.
In both cases, the White House argued that the troops were being sent to “protect federal assets and personnel.” President Trump invoked Title 10 of the federal code, which allows for the use of federal troops if there is deemed to be “a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States.”
However, federal judges have blocked the deployment of federalized National Guard soldiers on the streets of Portland and Chicago in response to lawsuits brought by city and state officials. This legal action kept the troops in a kind of holding pattern while the cases continued.
On Friday, the Trump administration appealed a ruling to the Supreme Court, which permanently barred the deployment of National Guard troops in Portland.
Additionally, the Defense Department official told CBS News that the number of federalized Oregon National Guard members will be reduced from 200 to 100. Meanwhile, approximately 300 Illinois National Guard members previously federalized as part of the operation will remain under federal control.
This announcement follows a statement from U.S. Northern Command on Friday, which said that the Department of War—the Trump administration’s preferred name for the Defense Department—would “be shifting and/or rightsizing our Title 10 footprint in Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago to ensure a constant, enduring, and long-term presence in each city.”
Portland and Chicago have witnessed months-long demonstrations at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. President Trump’s controversial decision to deploy federal troops in response has drawn significant pushback from local and state officials, who criticize the move as an unnecessary escalation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hundreds-of-national-guard-members-to-leave-portland-chicago-source-says/
