Third Democratic city for National Guard? Trump has not detailed how long Guard members would remain in the district but a National Guard officer told The Associated Press troops would remain until December. Governors control their states’ National Guard units, except in rare circumstances in which the president can assume control. Circuit Court of Appeals panel hearing a case on the National Guard’s deployment to Los Angeles this year, have given the executive branch “incredible deference” to mobilize the National Guard, Mirasola said. “It’s far more likely that you see a red state’s National Guard being voluntarily federalized — federalized with the consent of the governor — and then deployed to Illinois,” he said.