In a recent directive, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth authorized the immediate federal activation of 200 Oregon National Guard members, a decision that quickly sparked legal opposition from Oregon’s Democratic leadership.
The order, formalized in a memorandum addressed to the state’s highest-ranking military official, mandates the troops‘ federal service for a 60-day period. This move follows closely on the heels of President Donald Trump’s public declaration of intent to deploy forces to “war-torn Portland,” the capital city of Oregon.
Governor Tina Kotek, a Democrat, expressed her disapproval of the deployment during a phone call with the president, emphasizing, “Oregon is our home – not a battlefield.”
Shortly after the memorandum was received, Oregon’s Attorney General Dan Rayfield, also a Democrat, initiated a federal lawsuit in Portland targeting Hegseth, Trump, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Rayfield criticized the deployment as politically motivated rather than a genuine public safety measure, stating, “This is less about maintaining order and more about the president showcasing power under the pretense of law enforcement, prioritizing media attention over community welfare.”
The National Guard, a reserve military force organized at the state level, is typically mobilized for emergencies such as natural disasters or civil disturbances, and can also be called upon for overseas military missions.
Although the memorandum does not explicitly mention Portland as the deployment site, President Trump’s social media announcement on Saturday clarified his directive to the Pentagon, prompted by Noem’s request, to “deploy all necessary troops to safeguard war-ravaged Portland and any ICE facilities under threat from Antifa and other domestic extremist groups.”
ICE, or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, operates under the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump further asserted, “I am authorizing full military force if deemed necessary.”
Despite the administration’s focus on Antifa, a decentralized left-wing anti-fascist group, research from the CATO Institute reveals that since 2020, right-wing extremists have been responsible for 54% of politically motivated homicides in the US, more than twice the number linked to left-wing actors.
Just days before this announcement, a fatal shooting occurred at an ICE detention center in Texas, resulting in one detainee’s death and serious injuries to two others. Trump attributed the attack to the “radical left” without presenting supporting evidence.
Since assuming office, President Trump has repeatedly deployed troops to various states and cities governed by Democrats, his political opponents.
Most recently, military personnel were sent to Memphis, Tennessee, and Chicago, Illinois, following earlier deployments in Washington, DC, and Los Angeles, California.
Despite these intensified security measures, protests against the federal government’s immigration policies persist outside ICE facilities, where activists highlight the overcrowded and inhumane conditions detainees face amid ongoing efforts to increase deportations.
Over the weekend, demonstrators in Portland gathered outside an ICE building, some donning vibrant costumes to draw attention to their cause.
The Oregonian reported that by Sunday evening, fewer than 100 protesters remained outside the federal building in a city with a population of approximately 635,000, as earlier crowds began to disperse.
Additionally, the newspaper noted that since June, federal officers have arrested over two dozen individuals at protests near the federal building, with the majority of arrests occurring during the initial month of demonstrations against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
