President Donald Trump threatened Monday to use emergency powers against rebellion to deploy more troops into Democratic-led U.S. cities, intensifying his rhetoric as his attempts to mobilize the military face legal challenges.

The Republican leader openly mulled use of the Insurrection Act after a federal judge in Oregon temporarily halted a National Guard deployment in Portland, while another judge in Illinois allowed a similar move to proceed for now in Chicago.

Both cities have seen surges of federal agents as part of Trump's mass deportation drive, prompting protests outside immigration processing facilities.