Trump May Invoke Insurrection Act to Override Courts That Block His National Guard Orders

"Trump has claimed he is deploying National Guard troops to cities like Portland and Chicago to crack down on crime or assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents - despite crime rates decreasing in both cities over the past years. In reality, experts have noted, Trump is likely seeking to deploy troops to Democratic-led cities as a way to advance his authoritarian and anti-immigrant agenda."

""If I had to enact it, I'd do it," Trump said, stating he might do so if "courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up.""

""You look at what's happening with Portland over the years, it's a burning hell hole," Trump added. "And then you have a judge that lost her way that tries to pretend that there's no problem.""

President Donald Trump said he may invoke the Insurrection Act to send federal troops beyond the National Guard to cities across the country. He has claimed deployments to Portland and Chicago are intended to crack down on crime or assist ICE, even though crime rates have decreased in both cities in recent years. Experts have suggested the deployments target Democratic-led cities to advance an authoritarian and anti-immigrant agenda. Oregon and Portland sued and a federal judge blocked interstate National Guard deployment to Portland. Chicago and Illinois filed a similar lawsuit and face a scheduled hearing on the legality of the orders.

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