The Trump administration declared Chicago a "war zone" on Sunday to justify deploying troops there, while members of the California National Guard were deployed to Portland, Oregon, another Democratic-governed city, despite two opposing rulings by a federal judge.

"It's a war zone. The city is a war zone and they're lying so criminals can come in and destroy people's lives," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Fox News Sunday, referring to Portland Mayor Brandon Johnson, who called the measures "unconstitutional."
According to Noem, gangs, cartels and "other known terrorist organizations" are giving money to those protesting against immigration enforcement (ICE).
On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order to deploy 300 National Guard troops to Chicago "to protect federal agents and public property."

The Democratic opposition sharply criticized the White House, with Senator Dick Durbin complaining that "the president is not trying to fight crime, but to sow fear."
“They are turning the city into a war zone,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told CNN, describing the series of raids and calling for the military to withdraw. In a statement, Pritzker called the deployment of troops to Chicago a “Trump invasion.” He has “no reason” to send troops to Illinois or any other state without the “consent or cooperation” of local authorities. A CBS poll released Sunday found that 58% of Americans oppose deploying the National Guard to American cities.