The Trump administration’s recent moves to deploy National Guard troops in Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois have sparked legal and political pushback, highlighting growing tension over the use of federal forces on U.S. soil.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Portland deployment, ruling that the administration had not provided credible evidence justifying the troop presence. Meanwhile, Illinois officials challenged Trump’s order to federalize their National Guard, calling the move an overreach and a violation of state authority. Both cases underscore a fraught question: how far can a president go in deploying domestic troops without consent from local leaders?

Echoing Trump’s disjointed speech to the generals earlier this week, officials defended the actions as necessary for

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