Trump Administration Faces Legal Challenges Over National Guard Deployments
The Trump administration is facing increasing legal pushback over its attempts to deploy National Guard troops to several Democrat-led cities, framed by the administration as responses to ongoing unrest and crime.These actions have sparked accusations of political maneuvering and overreach of federal power.
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Sunday he is suing the administration after learning of plans to deploy federalized National Guard members – troops previously put under presidential control over his objections following unrest in Los Angeles – to Portland, Oregon. Newsom called the move “a breathtaking abuse of the law and power” and vowed to challenge it in court, stating the president was “using the US military as a political weapon against American citizens.”
The legal battle follows a temporary block issued Saturday by a Trump-appointed federal judge in Oregon, Karin Immergut, halting the administration’s plan to deploy the Oregon National Guard to Portland to protect federal property during protests.Judge Immergut resolute the scale of recent protests did not warrant the use of federalized forces and warned that allowing the deployment coudl infringe upon Oregon’s state sovereignty. She emphasized the nation’s ancient resistance to military intervention in civil affairs, stating, “this is a nation of constitutional law, not martial law.”
This isn’t the first instance of legal conflict. The administration previously deployed national Guard soldiers and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles during the summer, despite Newsom’s opposition.He subsequently sued and secured a temporary block from a federal judge who found the President’s use of the Guard likely unlawful.
The deployments are part of a broader pattern. Since the start of his second term, President trump has either sent troops or discussed sending them to ten cities, including Baltimore, Maryland; Memphis, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; New Orleans, Louisiana; and the California cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Recently, 300 Illinois National Guard troops were authorized for deployment to Chicago to protect federal officers and assets, confirmed by White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson, who cited ”ongoing violent riots and lawlessness.” National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. began carrying firearms and were authorized to use force “as a last resort” in August.
Despite the administration’s characterization of these cities as experiencing rampant crime,data suggests a different reality. in fact, crime rates in some major US cities have recently decreased, with New Orleans experiencing a significant drop in 2025, possibly leading to the lowest number of killings in over five decades.
