Portland, Oregon - Portland's police said that President Donald Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard inflamed protests and increased violence, making the situation much worse across the city.

Portland Police testified on Wednesday before US District Judge Karin Immergut, who is weighing whether protesters outside an ICE facility could be reasonably considered a rebellion, Reuters reports.

The jury-less trial is seeking to answer whether the Trump administration's deployment of military troops to Portland is justified due to either a genuine rebellion or because protesters prevented officers from enforcing the law.

Called to the stand to provide testimony on the nature of the city's anti-ICE protests, Portland Police Commander Franz Schoening said that the protests became far worse after Trump announced the deployment.

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National Guard troops were technically blocked from being deployed to Portland, but some still ended up stationed at the city's ICE facility.

Schoening testified that very little violence was ever directed towards officers, but said that excessive force was, on occasion, used against peaceful protesters gathered outside the facility.

On October 18, Schoening revealed, federal troops shot tear gas and smoke at protesters who had gathered on the driveway. The launcher missed its target and ended up on top of the building.

In response, troops began firing excessive amounts of tear gas and pepper spray into the crowd, hitting both protesters and local police officers.

He called the behavior "startling" and said that it would have been illegal if enacted by local police, who are not allowed to deploy such measures unless facing a riot.

Portland attorney Caroline Turco used her opening statement to claim that the National Guard's deployment was unlawful, claiming, "This case is about whether we are a nation of constitutional law or martial law."