An Appeals Court in the US has ruled that US President Donald Trump can send the national guard into Portland, Oregon, over the objections of local and state officials.

The divided three-panel’s decision, overruled a lower district court decision that issued a temporary restraining order blocking the use of the Guard.

The lower court judge had ruled that Trump appeared to have exaggerated claims of violence in the city.

The US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit disagreed with that lower court, preliminarily allowing the deployment of the national guard to continue at immigration and customs enforcement facilities that have seen protests in recent weeks.

The State of Oregon is likely to appeal.

The ruling gives the President a legal victory in his battle with local jurisdictions and cities who believe his deployment of the military is both excessive and unnecessary.

Democratic-led states and cities have filed lawsuits seeking to halt the deployments, and courts have not yet reached a final decision on the legality of Trump’s decisions to send the national guard to assist in criminal matters.