PORTLAND, Ore. — A panel of judges at the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Trump administration can deploy Oregon National Guard troops to Portland.

It's the latest development in an escalating legal battle between the federal government and local leadership, centered on protests at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland's South Waterfront district.

The administration argued that the troops are needed to help protect the building, where for several months, a small group of demonstrators has gathered outside, leading to occasional clashes with federal agents guarding the building — but local and state officials have said the administration is grossly exaggerating the scale of the incidents.

The decision comes weeks after a hearing Thursday ,

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