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The City of Cambridge joined two amicus briefs supporting Illinois and Oregon in lawsuits arguing the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops in the two states was unconstitutional.

The pair of lawsuits were filed in the last two months after the administration sent troops into Chicago and Portland, with the stated purpose of preventing crime and enforcing federal immigration laws. After district courts in both suits barred the deployment of troops, the administration filed requests to appeal, which are still pending.

The briefs come after district courts in both states ruled that the administration’s deployment of troops to prevent violence in the cities was illegal and unnecessary, restraining the federalization and deployment of the National Guard within the states.

Cambridge was one of hundreds of local governments and government leaders who came together to file amicus briefs on Oct. 6 and Oct. 12 calling on the Courts to deny the government’s attempts to stay the motion and keep troops in cities until the case is heard again.

“Military troops patrolling our communities inflames tensions, endangers and decreases the efficacy of local law enforcement, and increases risks of tragic accidents,” the Illinois briefing states. “It disturbs our residents’ peace and well-being.”

The briefs are the latest addition to a series of legal battles between Cambridge and the Trump administration that has centered around immigration, homelessness, and funding for Harvard.

One day after taking office, Trump signed two executive orders penalizing cities that limited cooperation with federal immigration officials and restricted federal funding for cities with sanctuary city policies — prompting Cambridge to join a lawsuit filed by San Francisco against the administration.

Meanwhile, Cambridge has strengthened its sanctuary city ordinance, updating the language to prevent the Cambridge Police Department from assisting ICE as deportations and arrests increase in the Greater Boston area.

In August, Cambridge announced it was planning to file an amicus brief in support of Harvard’s lawsuit challenging the government’s revocation of the University’s ability to enroll international students. The brief has not yet been filed, though the City still intends on doing so, according to public documents.

City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05 announced the City had signed the Illinois and Oregon briefs during an Oct. 20 City Council meeting as part of an effort to update residents on federal lawsuits involving Cambridge.

Elliot J. Veloso, the deputy city solicitor, said during the meeting that the City would remain “vigilant” so the lawsuits would continue to progress through the shutdown of the federal government that began on Oct. 1.

“The federal government has sort of taken the position that they are, frankly, slow rolling matters unless plaintiffs take active steps to ensure that litigation continues,” Veloso said.

Both cases are still pending as they await hearing from appeals courts, and troop deployments are temporarily blocked in the two states.

—Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at shawn.boehmer@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @ShawnBoehmer.