President Donald Trump said Monday he would consider using the Insurrection Act to deploy federal troops in U.S. cities, following a judge’s order blocking a National Guard deployment Portland.
Trump Considers Invoking Insurrection Act
In comments to reporters, Trump stated he would use the 1807 law if necessary to ensure cities are safe. “If I had to enact it, I’d do that,” Trump said. “We have an Insurrection Act for a reason.“
He specifically described the ongoing situation in Portland as “pure insurrection” and “criminal insurrection.” The president added he would act if people were being killed and if courts or local officials were holding up a federal response.
Court Blocks National Guard Deployment Portland
The president’s remarks came after a federal judge on Sunday blocked his administration from sending National Guard units from California and Texas to Portland. Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, ruled there was no evidence that recent protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made the domestic military deployment necessary.
About 100 Guard troops had already arrived in the city before the order halted a planned increase. The same court previously denied Trump the ability to deploy Oregon’s own Guard within the city.
Governor Accuses Trump of Creating Pretext
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker accused Trump of attempting to manufacture a crisis.
Pritzker claimed the administration’s goal was “to create the pretext for invoking the Insurrection Act so that he can send military troops to our city.“
“The Trump administration is following a playbook: cause chaos, create fear and confusion, make it seem like peaceful protesters are a mob,” Pritzker stated.
White House Responds to Ruling
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller called the judge’s decision “one of the most egregious and thunderous violations of constitutional order we have ever seen.” Miller argued there is no legal difference between states volunteering guardsmen for border duty and for guarding a federal immigration facility.
Historical Context of the 1807 Law
The Insurrection Act allows a president to deploy the military to suppress rebellions and enforce federal law, overriding the Posse Comitatus Act. It has not been invoked since the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
The Trump administration previously considered using the act in response to the George Floyd protests but did not. The president has also ordered Guard troops to deploy to Chicago and Memphis.
