As tensions mount across American cities, President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to deploy National Guard troops has hit a legal wall in Portland—but not in Chicago. While a federal judge’s order halted troop movements into Oregon, Illinois now faces the arrival of 200 Texas National Guard members, sparking fierce backlash from state leaders and civil rights advocates.
Table of Contents
- Troop Deployments by City
- Why Portland Was Blocked
- Chicago Under Pressure
- The Insurrection Act Threat
- Public and Political Backlash
- Sources
Troop Deployments by City
| City | Status | Troop Count | Legal Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR | Blocked | 0 | Federal judge issued restraining order |
| Chicago, IL | 200 en route | 200 (Texas NG) | Not blocked—court hearing set for Thursday |
| Los Angeles, CA | Deployed | 300 | Deployment ruled illegal; under appeal |
| Washington, D.C. | Deployed | 2,400 | Active since August |
Why Portland Was Blocked
In a surprising twist, it was one of Trump’s own judicial appointees who halted the deployment. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut—nominated by Trump in 2019—ruled that the protests outside Portland’s ICE facility were “not significantly violent or disruptive,” making the use of military force unwarranted.
Her Sunday night order explicitly barred the federal government from sending National Guard troops from any state into Oregon, after the administration attempted to sidestep her initial ruling by swapping Oregon troops for California and Texas units.
“This is a nation of constitutional law, not martial law,” Judge Immergut wrote—a line that has since gone viral among legal scholars and civil liberties groups.
Chicago Under Pressure
Unlike Portland, Chicago has not yet received judicial protection. Federal Judge April M. Perry, a Biden appointee, declined to issue an immediate injunction against the Texas troop deployment during an emergency hearing Monday. She cited a “lack of answers” from Trump administration lawyers and scheduled a full hearing for Thursday.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called the move an “unconstitutional invasion,” accusing the White House of manufacturing chaos to justify authoritarian overreach. “Their plan all along has been to cause chaos, and then they can use that chaos to consolidate Donald Trump’s power,” Pritzker said in a fiery press conference.
Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced plans to create “ICE-free zones” and urged residents to “push back against tyranny” through community organizing and legal action.
The Insurrection Act Threat
President Trump openly floated invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807—a rarely used law that allows the president to deploy active-duty military on U.S. soil during civil unrest.
“We have an Insurrection Act for a reason,” Trump told reporters. “I’d do it if people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or mayors or governors were holding us up.”
Legal experts warn that using the Act for routine immigration enforcement would shatter long-standing norms. The last time it was invoked was in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots—following the acquittal of officers in the Rodney King beating.
Critics argue that current conditions in Chicago or Portland don’t meet the threshold for such extreme measures. In fact, Chicago’s homicide rate in 2025 is down nearly 50% compared to pandemic peaks.
Public and Political Backlash
The troop deployments have ignited a firestorm of resistance:
- California Governor Gavin Newsom threatened to pull his state from the National Governors Association unless peers denounce Trump’s actions.
- Local businesses in Chicago have cut delivery services to protect undocumented workers.
- Neighborhood watch groups now monitor for ICE activity, with warning networks active on social media.
- In Broadview, IL, officials imposed a 9 a.m.–6 p.m. protest curfew near a federal immigration facility after agents used tear gas on demonstrators.
Adding fuel to the fire, federal prosecutors unsealed a murder-for-hire charge against a Chicago man who allegedly offered $10,000 to kill a high-profile Border Patrol official—Gregory Bovino—known for his aggressive role in “Operation Midway Blitz,” the administration’s Chicago-area immigration crackdown.
