When Has the U.S. National Guard Been Deployed?

The U.S. National Guard is a reserve group organized by the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. Every state and territory has a National Guard, which is typically called on by state governors or sitting presidents during periods of civil unrest or natural disasters. Typically, Guard units require approval from governors to be deployed, but presidents may bypass this rule. Throughout history there have been multiple cases in which the National Guard has stepped in to forcibly suppress unlawful assemblies. Here is a list of such instances.

Los Angeles immigration protests (2025)

On June 6, 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids authorized by Pres. Donald Trump began in Los Angeles in a crackdown on illegal immigration. Los Angeles, which operates as a sanctuary city for immigrants, became the site of civil unrest as protesters attempted to prevent law enforcement from making arrests. On June 7 Trump ordered about 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to protect federal immigration officers from what he termed a “rebellion.” The move was controversial, partly because Trump had bypassed California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who opposed the deployment. The troops entered the city the following day to guard federal buildings and personnel, using tear gas to push back protesters. On June 9 Trump ordered 700 U.S. Marines to assist federal officers further. That day Newsom announced that California would sue the Trump administration for what he had earlier called a “purposely inflammatory” move that would only serve to raise tensions. Marines entered Los Angeles the following day.

George Floyd protests (2020)

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a Black man, was forcibly held to the ground by a white police officer for almost 10 minutes while Floyd repeatedly stated that he could not breathe. A video of the incident was uploaded after Floyd’s death, leading to a prolonged period of nationwide street protests against racial injustice and police brutality. In response, more than 30 states called on National Guard units to assist local law enforcement in easing unrest. More than 30,000 National Guard members reported for duty, in the largest deployment since the civil rights movement. This was in addition to the more than 42,000 National Guard troops already deployed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Los Angeles riots (1992)

In March 1991 a Black man named Rodney King was brutally beaten by a group of white police officers after being pulled over for speeding at the end of an eight-mile chase. The widely circulated video caused outcry, and many were horrified by the blatant display of police brutality. A year later, in April 1992, the officers were acquitted by a white-majority jury. Hundreds of protesters congregated outside police headquarters in downtown Los Angeles, chanting, “No justice, no peace.” Mayor Tom Bradley declared a state of emergency, and California Gov. Pete Wilson requested military intervention as violence, looting, and arson spread across the Los Angeles region. Wilson proceeded to deploy a first contingent of National Guard troops (eventually, some 6,000 were deployed). Pres. George H.W. Bush dispatched 3,000–4,000 army troops and marines, along with 1,000 riot-trained federal law officers, to help restore order under the terms of the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to use military force in cases of rebellion or conspiracy.

Kent State protests (1970)

A school with a thriving activist presence, Kent State University was the site of widespread protest after Pres. Richard Nixon declared that the United States would be invading Cambodia. (It was later revealed that the United States had been bombing Cambodia for months prior.) After the night of May 1, 1970, during which students set a trash can on fire and broke windows in downtown Kent, Mayor Leroy Satrom requested assistance from the staunchly conservative Ohio governor, James A. Rhodes. The Ohio National Guard arrived on May 2 and proceeded to occupy Kent State’s campus the following day, using bayonets and tear gas on protesters. May 4 saw a banning of all demonstrations, though many students were unaware of this. As many as 3,000 students congregated on the university’s grassy Commons area. National Guard troops fired between 61 and 67 shots (a number of which were directly aimed into the crowd of protesters), killing four students and injuring nine. The shooting led to widespread controversy and may have helped to hasten the end of the Vietnam War and the selective service draft.

MLK assassination (1968)

On April 4, 1968, the prominent Black civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated by James Earl Ray as he stood on a motel balcony. King had just delivered his famous “Mountaintop” speech, during which he called for unity in the civil rights movement. After his death, cities such as Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C., saw violent riots and protests. Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson deployed National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., and sent federal troops to multiple cities in an attempt to suppress unlawful assemblies. However, troops had orders not to fire at looters. Almost 60,000 National Guard and federal troops were used in the operation. In Wilmington, Delaware, despite the end of rioting, Gov. Charles Terry continued to enforce martial law, leading to a nine-month military occupation in the city—the longest that has been seen in any U.S. city.

March on Selma (1965)

On February 18, 1965, near Selma, Alabama, a state trooper shot 26-year-old Jimmie Lee Jackson during a civil rights demonstration. As the seat of Dallas county, Selma had been the site of various actions protesting for African Americans’ voting rights in central Alabama. After Jackson was shot, civil rights leaders called for a march from Selma to Montgomery, the state capital, to protest the injustice of the act. On “Bloody Sunday” protesters were violently assaulted and detained by Alabama law enforcement officers. Two weeks later the march was scheduled to start once more. The day before the start of the renewed march, Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson took control of the Alabama National Guard, which protected the protesters until they reached Montgomery. This was the last instance before 2025 in which a president deployed the National Guard against the wishes of a state governor.

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Little Rock Nine (1957)

The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision ruled that segregated schooling was unconstitutional. In 1957 a group of nine African American students enrolled at Little Rock Central High School, which had previously been an all-white school. Arkansas Gov. Orval Eugene Faubus had declared his opposition to integration, and he sent the Arkansas National Guard to block the school’s entrance. Meanwhile, a mob of white protesters gathered to threaten the students, shouting and throwing stones at the group. Three weeks later Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower took control of the Arkansas National Guard by sending in U.S. Army troops. In an ironic twist, the National Guard troops who had prevented the students from entering the high school were then charged with escorting the Little Rock Nine to their classes.

Civil War (1861)

Although the National Guard did not exist in its current form at the time, Pres. Abraham Lincoln summoned state troops from Union states to suppress secessionist states at the start of the American Civil War. This was not the first time state militia had been called upon to suppress rebellion—Pres. George Washington first used them to put down the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794. However, presidents rarely called on state militias to suppress civil unrest in the 19th century. Lincoln’s case is the stark exception. When the Confederacy first began rebelling against the government, Lincoln summoned about 75,000 men from state militias to quell the insurrection. These federalized units continued to operate throughout the Civil War and shortly afterward.