US President Donald Trump said his administration was withdrawing National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, while warning that federal forces could return in stronger form if crime increases. | Photo credit: Tyrone Siu/Reuters

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday his administration was withdrawing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, but he added in his social media post that federal forces would “return” if crime rates rise.

Local leaders in those cities and Democrats have said the deployments, which have encountered setbacks and legal challenges, are unnecessary. They accused the Trump administration of going too far and exaggerating isolated episodes of violence to justify sending in troops.

Trump, a Republican, said deploying troops to Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Memphis and Portland was necessary to fight crime and protect federal property and personnel from protesters.

“We are withdrawing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, despite the fact that CRIME has been dramatically reduced due to the presence of these great Patriots in these cities, and ONLY because of this,” Trump wrote.

“We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime starts to skyrocket again – It’s only a matter of time!”

Judges overseeing lawsuits filed by cities challenging the deployments have consistently ruled that the Trump administration overstepped its authority and found there is no evidence to support claims that the troops “are necessary to protect federal property from protesters.”

On December 23, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked Trump’s attempt to deploy National Guard troops to Illinois, a decision that undermined the legal justification for sending troops to other states.

The court said the president’s power to take federal control of National Guard troops likely only applies in “exceptional” circumstances.

“At this preliminary stage, the government has failed to identify ‘a source of authority that would enable the military to execute the laws in Illinois,'” the court majority said in an unsigned order.

Local leaders who opposed Trump’s deployment of the National Guard said Wednesday that legal challenges forced him to end deployments in those cities.

“Trump’s ramblings here are the political version of ‘you can’t fire me, I’ll quit,'” California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said.

After Trump’s announcement, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office shared data for 2025 on social media, saying “the city saw the fewest violent crimes in over a decade during the year, with incidents down 21.3% from 2024.”

Trump began deploying troops in June amid protests over his hardline immigration policies, including his efforts to ramp up deportations. He also deployed troops to Washington and took control of local police in response to what he called rampant crime — although local crime statistics indicate otherwise — using his unique authority as president over the U.S. capital.

Military officials have scaled back their deployments in recent months as litigation left them in limbo.

Published on January 1, 2026

The US military destroyed three suspected drug trafficking vessels in a deadly overnight attack – marking the 33rd known boat strike since the Trump administration launched Operation Southern Spear in September.

The latest strike killed “three narcoterrorists” traveling in a single convoy in international waters, while suspected drug traffickers on two other boats immediately jumped overboard after the initial explosion on Tuesday evening, according to the US Southern Command.

“These vessels were operated by designated terrorist organizations in international waters,” military officials said in an X post Wednesday evening, noting that the strike was ordered by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

“Intelligence confirmed that the ships were transiting routes known for narcotics trafficking and that they had transferred narcotics between the three ships before the strikes. Three narcoterrorists aboard the first ship were killed during the first engagement.

“The remaining narcoterrorists abandoned the other two ships, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before subsequent fighting sank their respective ships. »

The U.S. Coast Guard was quickly notified after the strikes to begin a search and rescue operation for those who dove into the water, Southern Command added.

Footage of the operation shared on social media showed the three boats racing on the water nearby before one of them was stopped in its tracks by a fiery explosion, followed seconds later by strikes on the other two.

Southern Command, which oversees Central and South America and the Caribbean, did not say where the latest strikes took place or how many suspected narcoterrorists were aboard the other ships.

Previous airstrikes have taken place in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

At least 110 suspected drug traffickers have been killed in a total of 33 known boat strikes since the start of September.

In an important step toward justice, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced a pardon for Maurice Taylor, who was serving an illegally extended prison sentence. The case attracted attention since Taylor’s brother, Marcus, also received a pardon earlier, both having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell a Schedule III drug.

In 2015, the Taylor brothers accepted plea deals for selling hydrocodone and acetaminophen, a painkiller intended to treat serious illnesses. Although the maximum sentence for such an offense is five years, Maurice and Marcus received sentences of 20 and 15 years respectively.

Governor Reeves stressed the importance of correcting such miscarriages of justice, noting that Mauritius’ legal team recently submitted documents to his office. Following judicial intervention, the order mandates the release of Maurice Taylor within five days, ensuring that justice will prevail.

(With input from agencies.)