US President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of 200 Oregon National Guard troops under federal authority, escalating tensions with the state’s Democratic leadership, which swiftly filed a lawsuit to block the move.
A memorandum signed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed that the troops be called into federal service “effective immediately for 60 days.” The order came a day after Trump vowed to send soldiers to “war-ravaged Portland,” which he described as under siege by Antifa and domestic extremists.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said she had opposed the deployment in a call with Trump, declaring: “Oregon is our home — not a military target.”
Shortly after receiving the memo, Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed a federal lawsuit in Portland against Trump, Hegseth, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, accusing the administration of abusing military power for political gain.
National guard and federal authority
The National Guard, typically controlled by state governors, can be federalized by the president during emergencies. It often responds to natural disasters or civil unrest, but Trump has increasingly used it in Democratic-led states, including California, Illinois, and Washington, DC.
Rayfield argued the move was not about safety: “It’s about the president flexing political muscle under the guise of law and order, chasing a media hit at the expense of our community.”
Portland protests and ICE facility violence
Protests outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities have continued nationwide, with Portland remaining a flashpoint. Over the weekend, demonstrators gathered outside a federal building, though numbers dwindled to fewer than 100 by Sunday night, according to The Oregonian.
Trump’s order followed a deadly shooting at a Texas ICE facility, where one detainee was killed and two others were critically injured. Without presenting evidence, Trump blamed the attack on the “radical left.”
While Trump has vowed to crack down on Antifa, research by the CATO Institute shows that since 2020, right-wing extremists have been responsible for 54% of politically motivated murders in the US—more than double those linked to left-wing groups.
