Federal agents and police officers work to keep demonstrators at bay outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon. The governor of Oregon confirmed that National Guard troops from California have been deployed to the state.
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Spencer Platt/Getty Images
As President Trump advances his initiative to station National Guard troops in cities governed by Democrats, Portland and Chicago brace for the arrival of these forces. The administration asserts that these deployments are necessary to curb crime and safeguard federal law enforcement personnel in these urban areas.
On Saturday, the White House announced that Trump had authorized the mobilization of 300 Illinois National Guard members, fulfilling his repeated promises to send federal troops to Chicago. Meanwhile, a federal judge in Oregon issued a temporary injunction preventing the deployment of the Oregon National Guard to Portland, although troops from California have already been dispatched to the state.
According to a federal memorandum obtained by NPR, the National Guard will be tasked with protecting federal properties and supporting agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Federal Protective Service, and other federal agencies. Their deployment will focus on areas experiencing or at risk of violent protests, as determined by current threat evaluations.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration deployed National Guard units to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Additionally, plans are underway to send troops to Memphis, Tennessee, with the endorsement of Republican Governor Bill Lee.
The governors of Oregon and Illinois, Tina Kotek and JB Pritzker respectively, have voiced strong opposition to the deployments, arguing that the presence of the Guard is unwarranted and likely to exacerbate tensions within their communities.
Governor Pritzker expressed his disapproval on social media, stating that the “Trump Administration’s Department of War issued an ultimatum: mobilize your troops, or we will.” He condemned the demand as “outrageous and un-American,” emphasizing the importance of respecting state sovereignty and the will of local leadership.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the decision, citing ongoing violent unrest in Chicago as justification for activating the National Guard to protect federal personnel and assets. Despite these claims, crime statistics indicate that violent crime rates in Chicago and other targeted cities have actually declined.
In a recent incident in Chicago, Border Patrol agents discharged their weapons at a woman who was part of a group that allegedly attempted to strike federal officers with vehicles. The woman, identified as Marimar Martinez, was treated and released from the hospital and is now in FBI custody. No agents sustained serious injuries during the encounter, according to Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
Federal Judge Halts Oregon Guard Deployment, Yet California Troops Arrive
On the same day, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to deploy the Oregon National Guard. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut ruled that the government had not sufficiently demonstrated that the protests outside the Portland ICE facility amounted to a rebellion warranting such action.
Judge Immergut, appointed by Trump in 2019, noted that the demonstrations since July have generally involved fewer than 30 participants and remained mostly peaceful. She also pointed out that Portland’s police department is equipped with crowd control training and can request assistance from other law enforcement agencies or the National Guard if necessary.
Despite the ruling, the administration had already federalized 200 Oregon National Guard members for a 60-day mission, as communicated to Governor Kotek by the Department of Defense.
Trump expressed disdain for the judge’s decision, stating he was unaware of the order but believed the judge should feel ashamed. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed that 300 California National Guard troops were en route to Oregon, criticizing the administration’s actions as authoritarian and vowing to challenge them in court.
Governor Kotek reported that 101 California Guard members arrived in Oregon on Saturday, with additional forces expected soon. She accused the federal government of deliberately circumventing the court’s ruling through this deployment.
Reporting contributions by Gigi Douban and Tom Bowman.
