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In the latest court rulings on US President Donald Trump’s controversial plans to deploy the National Guard to US cities, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has lifted a lower court's order prohibiting the Oregon National Guard from deploying to Portland, the largest city in the northwestern US state, according to media reports.

However, a broader order preventing any state’s Guard troops from entering the city remains in effect, ABC News reported.

The administrative stay only affects US District Judge Karin Immergut’s Saturday ruling, which halted Oregon Guard deployment. The appeals court said the stay preserves the status quo while it reviews the case.

Immergut’s broader Sunday order blocking National Guard deployments from all states to Portland still stands, with no appeal filed by the Trump administration.

“In the circumstances here, granting an administrative stay will best preserve the status quo,” the Ninth Circuit said. It emphasized that prior to the restraining order, Oregon Guard members had been federalized but not deployed.

The court will hear oral arguments on Thursday about whether to extend the stay pending appeal. Immergut earlier said she was “troubled” by the administration’s attempt to bypass her previous order, calling claims of unrest in Portland “untethered to the facts.”

Trump said Monday that an "insurrection" is unfolding in Portland, Oregon, as he pushed to deploy National Guard troops to the city in response to what he claims is surging crime.

Tina Kotek, Oregon’s governor, has said publicly there is no unrest or crime wave in Portland, adding that Trump was misled into believing there was violence when Fox News showed footage of protests that took place five years ago. The National Guard troops are unwelcome and unneeded, she said.

Trump also slammed Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker over the continued gun violence in Chicago, a Democratic stronghold that did not vote for Trump, much like Portland.

His comments came amid renewed debate over whether National Guard deployments should be authorized without state consent.

The cities Trump has targeted for deployment are run by Democrats, and most of them are people of color. Local leaders say the deployments have nothing to do with crime – as many cities run by Republicans have higher crime rates – but instead are supposed to intimidate the public ahead of pivotal congressional elections next year.