Since taking office, President Donald Trump has sparked controversy over and over with his use of the National Guard - primarily state-based troops that typically respond to issues like natural disasters or large protests.
But Trump has sought to use them very differently: deployments to major US cities where residents protest his political agenda, particularly immigration policy.
Trump argues the National Guard is necessary to quell violence in Democratic-controlled cities, support his deportation initiatives, and crack down on crime. However, some former military officials, several Democratic governors, and federal judges have expressed concern that this is a major overreach and risks politicising the military.
The latest clash occurred in early October when Trump tried to send National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, where protesters rallied outside a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building to protest its immigration enforcement tactics. A judge has temporarily blocked the move and the case is ongoing.
All 50 US states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands have their own contingent of National Guard troops. Those troops also can be deployed abroad, and some units specialise in fighting wildfires or securing the US border.
Though the National Guard ultimately reports to the Department of Defence, the governor of a state makes the call to activate them during an emergency. National Guard troops have limited power, as they do not enforce the law, nor make arrests, seizures, or searches.
Trump has attempted to circumvent the normal process for deploying the National Guard several times, including his control over the California National Guard in June to respond to immigration protests. His justification for using Guard troops during ongoing protests revolves around claims of lawlessness and rising crime, although many officials assert that there is no insurrection or state of emergency.
In Portland, where tensions have escalated between demonstrators and federal law enforcement, a federal judge recently blocked Trump's order to send troops, indicating that constitutional law should prevail over martial law.
