USA "City by city": Trump tests his powers
In the US, the dispute over the deployment of the National Guard at the behest of President Donald Trump is intensifying - and with it the limits of his power.
07.10.2025, 05:52
SDA
The Republican wants to deploy the military reserve unit in several Democratic-ruled cities or has already done so - on the grounds of allegedly curbing rampant crime and bringing protests against raids by the immigration authority ICE under control. Several cities and states are fighting back with legal means. They see their sovereignty violated and warn of a dangerous precedent for the use of military pressure at home.
In the USA, the governors of a state normally have control over the National Guard - only in times of war or national emergency can the US President take command. As part of the US armed forces, the National Guard can generally be deployed in the event of natural disasters, civil unrest or domestic emergencies.
Deployment in Chicago seems imminent
According to the US media, National Guardsmen could soon be arriving in the Chicago region. The attempt by the state of Illinois and the city of millions to stop such a deployment was initially unsuccessful: the judge responsible will decide on a temporary injunction on Thursday at the earliest, according to the reports.
The Trump administration had ordered around 300 National Guardsmen from Illinois to be placed under federal control in order to protect federal officials and federal property. In Portland, Oregon, a similar deployment was temporarily halted at the behest of a court - outcome unclear.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said on Monday night that Trump had also called up 400 National Guardsmen from Republican-ruled Texas to deploy them in Illinois, Oregon and elsewhere in the US. The New York Times, citing military sources, reported that 200 Texas National Guardsmen were due to fly to Chicago on Monday to begin their deployment there later in the week.
Late in the evening, Texas Governor Greg Abbott posted a photo on X of Texas National Guard soldiers boarding an airplane - accompanied by the words: "Ready anytime. Deployed now."
Is Trump's government following a "script"?
For weeks, the mood in Democrat-ruled cities has been heating up because Trump is threatening to deploy the National Guard against the express will of local and state governments. Critics accuse him of wanting to gradually normalize the use of military force at home in order to intimidate political opponents. Another concern is that the crackdown on largely peaceful protests with only isolated riots could provoke further unrest instead of containing it.
Governor Pritzker accused the Trump administration of following a real "script": It is stoking fear and making largely peaceful protesters appear to be a threat. He accused Trump of deliberately causing an escalation in order to be able to invoke the so-called Insurrection Act. This law, which dates back to 1807, allows the US president to deploy the military domestically to put down riots in exceptional cases.
Trump compared Chicago to a "war zone" and hinted that he might actually want to use the Insurrection Act. The federal authorities had no choice but to crack down, he explained in the White House on Monday. They would have to go "city by city".
Legal exchange of blows
A president may only assume federal control over National Guard soldiers assigned to the states in exceptional cases - and then only order very specific deployments. Several courts are now dealing with Trump's actions and the limits of his power. The most recent lawsuit was filed by the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago. They argue that it is unlawful for Trump and his administration to place National Guardsmen under federal control to combat allegedly rampant crime in the city.
"Display of tyranny"
At the same time, Chicago wants to restrict the scope of action of the immigration authority ICE. The city points out that ICE officials have used raids, particularly in the past week, to intimidate people and sprayed tear gas. People were literally chased, and in some cases children were also present. Johnson spoke of a "display of tyranny". The police also used inappropriate force during protests against the ICE raids.
The Trump administration presents the situation differently, pointing out that ICE is merely carrying out lawful work and that the American people should be protected from criminals - allegedly the "worst of the worst".
"Hellmouth" Portland, "rat hole" Washington
The Chicago case is one in a series of similar disputes. Recently, the state of Oregon and the city of Portland had already filed a lawsuit against Trump, whereupon a court stopped the deployment of National Guardsmen from Oregon for the time being. The US government responded by ordering soldiers from another state - California - to Portland. However, the court also blocked this move shortly afterwards. On Monday, Trump described the city in the north-west of the USA as a "burning hellmouth". He accused the judge responsible of acting as if there was no problem there.
Months ago, Trump had already sent soldiers to Los Angeles with the declared aim of pushing back protests against ICE raids. Even this deployment was seen by critics as a harbinger of a larger-scale self-empowerment of the government. A few weeks ago, the US president then ordered the deployment of the National Guard in the US capital Washington, which he also attested to having a rampant crime problem - without any statistics to back this up. At the time, he chose "rat hole" to describe Washington.
