WASHINGTON, Nov 17, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Hundreds of National Guard troops sent to Chicago and Portland began to withdraw Sunday, US media reported, after the deployment by President Donald Trump faced legal setbacks.

Trump, a Republican, ordered military forces from Texas and California to the two Democrat-run cities in early October as part of his crackdown on illegal migration. Local leaders slammed the move as authoritarian overreach.

Anonymous US officials cited by the New York Times said the 200 troops sent to each city from out of state, who never deployed onto the streets due to court battles, were starting to pull out Sunday.

About 300 troops from the home state Illinois National Guard will remain in Chicago, and 100 of the Oregon force in Portland.

US Northern Command, which oversees military operations in North America, said in a statement Friday on X it "will be shifting and/or rightsizing" its National Guard "footprint in Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago," without providing further details.

Trump's domestic use of the National Guard has been extraordinary as the troops -- mostly individuals who serve part-time while holding civilian jobs -- are usually under the control of the state's governor.

They are routinely mobilized to address emergencies on US soil, such as natural disasters.

Portland and Chicago have become the latest flashpoints in the Trump administration's rollout of immigration raids, following the deployment of troops to Los Angeles, Washington and Memphis.

A federal judge earlier this month ruled the Trump administration's Portland deployment was "unlawful" and issued a permanent block on the move, saying the US Constitution did not confer such powers to the federal government.

A lower court and an appeals court in October have also blocked the use of National Guard troops in Chicago, the third-largest US city, with the Supreme Court now reviewing the case.