President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the National Guard has been deployed in Oregon. This move comes in response to what the President described as deteriorating conditions that hinder Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts.
Over the weekend, Trump stated his intent to send troops to Portland, Oregon’s largest city, to combat what he labeled “domestic terrorists.” He asserted that protests were obstructing the enforcement of immigration law. The President did not comment on the situation in Portland in his recent post, and inquiries to the White House remain unanswered.
The significance becomes clear when we consider the exact words of the President as he wrote on Truth Social, “As I determined on September 27th, when I activated and called into service the National Guard in Oregon, conditions continue to deteriorate into lawless mayhem.” He further voiced his support for the federal law enforcement officers who, in his words, “have not been able to enforce the laws in Oregon.”
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Organized protestors have been present in front of an ICE building in Portland since June, rallying against the Trump administration’s intensified crackdown on illegal immigration. This raises important questions about the balance between the right to protest and the preservation of law and order.
On Monday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum to nationalize 200 Oregon National Guard members for a period of 60 days, citing “credible threats of violence” at the ICE building in Portland.
Elected leaders and officials in Portland and Oregon have appealed to Trump to reconsider sending troops, calling it unnecessary. Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, reportedly expressed her opposition to the President’s decision, labeling it as “unlawful and unwarranted.”
In a recent speech to senior military leaders, Trump referenced a phone conversation with Gov. Kotek, during which he compared Portland’s unrest to a war zone. On Monday, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, also a Democrat, filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to block the deployment in Portland. A hearing is scheduled for Friday.