Illinois leaders went to court Monday to stop U.S. President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops to Chicago, escalating a clash between Democratic-led states and the Republican administration during an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the nation's third-largest city.

The legal challenge came hours after a judge on Sunday blocked the Guard's deployment in Portland, Ore.

The White House says it will appeal that ruling.

"We are appealing that decision," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday afternoon. "We expect a hearing on it pretty quickly and we're very confident in the president's legal authority to do this."

The Trump administration has portrayed the cities as war-ravaged and lawless amid the government's crackdown on illegal immigration

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