It is now more clear, following an Oct. 20 appeals court decision, that federally ordered troops will march into Portland, Oregon.

Which brings us to the question of what you, our readers, think about President Donald Trump sending the military into certain cities. Those have been places the president claims are so dangerous and obstructive toward federal functions that the extreme measure is warranted.

In total, Trump has suggested sending troops – or has already sent them – into almost a dozen cities, all run by Democratic mayors, mostly in states with Democratic governors.

National Guard boots have actually hit the ground in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, and Memphis.

Portland, which Trump called "war-ravaged," was next, but a federal district court judge, hearing a lawsuit brought by the city and the state of Oregon, issued temporary restraining orders, halting deployment earlier in October.

In issuing the temporary stops, U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut said protests in the city were "largely sedate" and didn't justify a military response.

The Trump administration appealed and won. An Oct. 20 split decision by a three-judge panel for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the lower court erred by not considering "violent and disruptive events" in the summer. That decision, written by two Trump-appointed judges, said the president should be given "great deference" in determining whether regular forces aren't enough to enforce the laws.

If mobilizing National Guard members, who are state-based, isn't enough, Trump has floated the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act, which would mean using the regular military to combat civil unrest.

Is sending troops to US cities the right move?

We at USA TODAY Opinion want to know what you, our readers, make of all this. Is sending troops into cities justified? What do you think of the latest court ruling? What else is notable about these remarkable presidential actions? Take our poll below or send us an email to forum@usatoday.com with the subject line "Forum National Guard." We'll publish a collection of your responses in the next Opinion Forum installment.

I'll even get you started with some questions:

  • Do you agree with Trump sending National Guard troops to cities?
  • Do you worry those actions will impede people's rights – or do you think it's necessary for safety?
  • Is Trump's goal simply to make the cities safer? Or is he trying to accomplish other things?
  • What do you think of the rulings of the courts on the subject?
  • Should Trump invoke the Insurrection Act?

Joel Burgess is a Voices editor for the USA TODAY Network. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where he worked as a reporter for more than two decades.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Do you agree with Trump sending troops to Portland, other cities? Take our poll. | Opinion

Reporting by Joel Burgess, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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