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White House debates invoking Insurrection Act

Oct 12, 2025, 5:58pm EDT
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Law enforcement officers stand guard as people take part in a protest near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Broadview facility
Jeenah Moon/Reuters

The White House is considering invoking the Insurrection Act as officials ramp up federal law enforcement action in US cities, Vice President JD Vance said.

The 1807 statute would allow President Donald Trump to deploy active-duty military personnel; the government has already sent National Guard troops to Democratic-run cities with the stated aim of protecting immigration agents from protests.

Courts have blocked some of those deployments, but analysts say the legal setbacks could push Trump to take a more aggressive route and invoke the act.

Top Trump adviser Stephen Miller has called the unfavorable court rulings a “legal insurrection,” but polls show that most Americans oppose using active troops in US cities.

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