Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Oct 7: US President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, a centuries-old law that allows the deployment of U.S. military forces domestically, as tensions escalate over immigration enforcement in major cities.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump said he was prepared to use the 1807 Insurrection Act “if necessary,” citing the need to maintain law and order. “So far, it hasn't been necessary,” he said. “But if people are being killed, if courts or local leaders are holding us up, then yes, I would invoke it. We have to make sure our cities are safe.”

Trump’s comments come as his administration ramps up efforts to deploy National Guard troops and federal agents in cities like Chicago and Portland, where protests have intensified around U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.

In Portland, a federal judge temporarily blocked the deployment of National Guard troops on Sunday, following legal challenges by city officials and civil rights advocates. Meanwhile, a similar request from Chicago was denied, allowing Trump to move forward with his plan to send 300 National Guard personnel to the city. An additional 200 troops from Texas are expected to arrive by Wednesday.

Both cities have become flashpoints in Trump’s ongoing crackdown on immigration, with demonstrators clashing with ICE agents and local leaders pushing back hard against federal intervention.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, vowed to resist what he described as Trump’s “authoritarian march.” “We will use every lever to protect the people of Illinois,” he said Monday.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson took further steps by signing an executive order designating “ICE-free zones” across the city. The order bans federal agents from using select city-owned spaces for immigration enforcement. “We have a rogue, reckless group of heavily armed, masked individuals roaming throughout our city that are not accountable to the people of Chicago,” Johnson said in a sharply worded statement.

This isn’t the first time Trump has leaned on federal force to assert control during moments of civil unrest. In June, he deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles, and in August, to Washington, D.C., drawing criticism from lawmakers and civil rights groups.

While Trump insists these moves are aimed at restoring order and protecting ICE agents, opponents argue they represent an overreach of executive power and a dangerous precedent for domestic military involvement.

As legal battles unfold and more troops prepare for deployment, the debate over federal authority and states' rights is once again taking center stage in the nation's political discourse.