Trump Deploys National Guard to Cities Amid Legal Battles
President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops to several U.S. cities to support immigration enforcement, sparking lawsuits from Democratic governors and threats to invoke the Insurrection Act.
Donald Trump authorized the deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to several major cities, including Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Memphis, to combat crime and protect federal assets during immigration enforcement operations. The administration launched Operation Midway Blitz in Illinois, resulting in over 1,000 arrests of undocumented immigrants. In Chicago, the president federalized 300 Illinois National Guard members and mobilized 400 Texas National Guard troops, despite fierce opposition from Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Legal challenges have created a fragmented operational landscape. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut twice blocked deployments to Portland, Oregon, ruling that the administration's claims of a rebellion were "untethered to the facts." In response, the administration attempted to circumvent the order by deploying California National Guard members to Oregon, a move Governor Gavin Newsom called a "breathtaking abuse of the law and power." Conversely, a federal judge in Illinois initially allowed the Chicago deployments to proceed, though later blocked them for two weeks citing a lack of evidence for a danger of rebellion.
As tensions escalated, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 to bypass courts and local officials, characterizing protests in Portland as "pure insurrection." He further called for the imprisonment of Pritzker and Johnson for failing to protect federal agents. In response, Mayor Johnson established "ICE-free zones" on city property to obstruct federal staging. The deployments have also sparked internal military dissent, with some Ohio National Guardsmen questioning the legality of using the military for mass deportations.
