WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Trump is considering invoking the insurrection act in order to deploy the military to U.S. cities, NBC News reported, citing administration officials that spoke to them on the matter.
The Insurrection Act of 1807 allows the president to deploy military into domestic cities or states in circumstances of armed rebellion or insurrection. The last time it was invoked was in 1992 during the L.A. riots, at the request of California’s governor.
President Trump has floated the possibility of invoking the act several times. In an executive order signed on January 20, he asked the departments of Defense and Homeland Security to conduct a review, including whether to invoke the Insurrection Act, related to conditions at the southern border. The report ultimately did not recommend it.
The debate surrounding military intervention in U.S. cities has grown increasingly prominent with Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., Chicago and Memphis.
President Trump ordered the Guard to deploy to Portland, Oregon as well, but those efforts were temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
