Trump Escalates Clash With Oregon by Floating Military Use Under the Insurrection Act
Following several successful lawsuits to federalize the National Guard, President Donald Trump told reporters earlier this week that he would consider deploying the military through his powers under the Insurrection Act, particularly if the legal battles drag on too long.
Trump Escalates Tensions By Considering the Insurrection Act To Deploy The Military
After Oregon and California united to stop Trump’s National Guard push to deploy 200 Oregon National Guard members, followed by 300 California National Guard members to Portland,
Trump said he is considering using the Insurrection Act to send in the military, suggesting that he is seeking to suppress an insurrection in the city that he incorrectly describes as “war-ravaged.”
About the Insurrection Act, Trump said, “If I had to enact it, I’d do that. If people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors holding us up, sure, I’d do that. I mean, I want to make sure that people aren’t killed. We have to make sure that our cities are safe.”
Tensions have escalated as states- including Oregon- have confirmed that local law enforcement has the protests that have been going on outside the South Portland ICE facility since June under control. The demonstrations are limited to one city block, and several arrests have been made by local law enforcement.
The Insurrection Act has been invoked 30 times in the past, with the first instance being under Thomas Jefferson in 1808, in response to violations of the Embargo Act of 1807 around Lake Champlain.
The Act was repealed in 1809, and the last time it was invoked was by George H.W. Bush in 1992, following the Rodney King protests in Los Angeles.
The Oregon Department of Justice (ODOJ) will be in court tomorrow in the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) lawsuit, where both sides will present targuments in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, debating whether the National Guard should be deployed in Portland, or not.