Trump’s Threat to Invoke the Insurrection Act Escalates Clash With Democratic-Led Cities

Hundreds of Texas National Guard troops gathered Tuesday at a military base outside Chicago after Donald Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy more soldiers to American cities, intensifying a showdown over the limits of presidential power.

The Republican president once again left open the possibility of using the centuries-old Insurrection Act to override any court orders barring him from sending federal troops to Democratic-led cities — even over the objections of local and state officials.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the deployment of Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, while another judge has allowed the deployment to proceed in Chicago, where federal agents have already begun a sweeping crackdown on undocumented immigration.

“Look, it’s been used before,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, arguing that soldiers were needed to protect federal property and personnel and to help suppress crime.
“If you look at Chicago — a wonderful city with tremendous crime — and if the governor can’t do the job, we will. It’s very simple,” he said.

A Rarely Used Law

The Insurrection Act, which allows the president to deploy the military to quell unrest, has historically been used only in extreme cases and almost always at the invitation of state governors. It was last invoked by President George H.W. Bush during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Under federal law, the Posse Comitatus Act generally bars the military from enforcing domestic laws, but the Insurrection Act provides an exception, granting troops authority to police civilians and make arrests.

Trump’s consideration of the law marks a significant escalation in his efforts to deploy troops in Democratic-led cities. Since beginning his second term in January, he has shown little hesitation in wielding executive power against political opponents, pushing the boundaries of presidential authority.

Last week, addressing senior military commanders, Trump suggested using U.S. cities as “training grounds” for the armed forces — a remark that alarmed Democrats and civil liberties groups.

Retired Army Major General Randy Manner, former acting deputy chief of the National Guard Bureau, said Trump’s interpretation of the law was unprecedented.

“This is extremely dangerous — it essentially says the president can do whatever he wants,” Manner said. “That’s the very definition of dictatorship and fascism.”

Troops Move Toward Chicago and Portland

Following earlier deployments in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., Trump has ordered Guard units to Chicago and Portland, Oregon — both over the objections of Democratic mayors and governors, who say the president’s claims of chaos and violence are exaggerated.

On Tuesday, Texas Guard soldiers were seen assembling at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, about 80 kilometers southwest of Chicago. It remained unclear when they would begin operations in the city.

In both Chicago and Portland, protests against Trump’s immigration policies have remained largely peaceful and small, far from the “war zone” scenario he describes.

Despite an increased federal presence in the Chicago area in recent weeks, demonstrations have had little impact on daily life in a city where violent crime has sharply declined. Restaurants, theaters, and lakeside beaches remain bustling.

The protests, mostly confined to an immigration processing center in suburban Broadview, have occasionally turned violent when demonstrators clashed with federal officers, who used tear gas and rubber bullets. Several people, including one reporter, were arrested, and dozens were injured.

Illinois Governor Accuses Trump of Politicizing the Military

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, accused Trump of deliberately stoking violence to justify further militarization.

“Donald Trump is using our troops as political props and pawns in his unlawful attempt to militarize America’s cities,” Pritzker said Monday.

Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking to block orders that would federalize 300 Illinois Guard troops and deploy 400 Texas Guard soldiers to Chicago.

During a hearing, Justice Department lawyers told a federal judge that Texas troops were already en route to Illinois. Judge April Perry allowed the deployment to proceed temporarily but ordered the government to file a formal response by Wednesday.

Separately, a federal judge in Oregon on Sunday temporarily barred the administration from sending any Guard soldiers to police Portland, the state’s largest city.

National Guard soldiers are state-based militias typically accountable to their governors and are most often deployed in response to natural disasters. Under Trump’s orders, their role in federal operations has so far been limited to securing federal property, though the Defense Department confirmed that troops have authority to detain people temporarily.

Legal Challenges Loom

Any attempt by Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act would almost certainly face court challenges. Although courts have rarely interpreted the law, the Supreme Court has ruled that it is up to the president alone to determine whether the conditions for its use have been met — including when the authority of the U.S. government faces “unlawful obstructions, combinations, assemblies, or rebellions.”