President Trump on Monday said he was considering invoking the Insurrection Act to justify sending federal troops into Portland, Ore., and avoid any legal hurdles.

Trump in remarks from the Oval Office likened the situation in Portland to an “insurrection,” though he said he had yet to make a decision on invoking the Insurrection Act.

“Portland is on fire. Portland’s been on fire for years,” Trump said, describing the situation as “all insurrection.”

Asked under what conditions he would invoke the Insurrection Act, Trump said he would do it “if it was necessary.”

“So far, it hasn’t been necessary. But we have an Insurrection Act for a reason,” Trump said. “If I had to enact it, I’d do that. If people were being killed, and courts were holding us up or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure, I’d do that. I mean, I want to make sure people aren’t killed.”

Trump also described his administration’s clashes with local and state officials and the courts over deploying the National Guard to Portland as an insurrection.

“I really think that’s really criminal insurrection,” Trump said.

Portland has been the focus of intensifying criticism from the Trump administration amid ongoing protests over immigration enforcement in the city.

There have been protests in Portland dating to June in response to the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation efforts. The FBI field office in Portland said Thursday it had made 128 arrests in the city since June 9.

A federal judge in a ruling late Sunday temporarily blocked the administration from sending National Guard troops to Oregon.

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, previously granted Oregon officials their request for a restraining order against Trump ordering Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deploy Oregon National Guard troops to Portland. 

In response to Immergut’s initial ruling, Trump sought to deploy California National Guard troops to Portland, a move met with swift backlash from California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

Invoking the Insurrection Act could give Trump a way around the courts, but it likely would prompt widespread backlash amid concerns about the deployment of the military in American cities.

At the same time, Illinois and Chicago earlier Monday sued to block Trump’s deployment of National Guard members to the city after the administration moved to send in hundreds of troops.

Updated at 5:33 p.m. EDT