In a decisive move countering judicial obstruction of federal law enforcement, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has authorized 400 Texas National Guard troops to protect besieged Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in Portland, Oregon, following a controversial court ruling blocking President Trump’s federal response.
The deployment comes after Federal Judge Karin Immergut issued an unprecedented ruling barring President Trump from federalizing National Guard troops from Oregon and California, effectively hampering the federal government’s ability to protect its own facilities from organized leftist agitators.
“I fully authorized the President to call up 400 members of the Texas National Guard to ensure safety for federal officials,” Governor Abbott stated Sunday night, emphasizing Texas’s commitment to law and order. The governor’s swift response demonstrates the stark contrast between states actively supporting federal law enforcement and those enabling mob rule through selective enforcement.
The Portland ICE facility has become ground zero for organized leftist demonstrations, with local law enforcement deliberately standing down as violent activists blockade federal property. Rather than maintaining order, Portland police have reportedly threatened to arrest citizens attempting to navigate streets illegally blocked by protesters.
Judge Immergut’s ruling, which she later expanded to prevent the President from deploying any state’s National Guard to Portland, relies on dubious legal reasoning suggesting that protecting federal facilities somehow “erases the line between civil and military power.” This judicial overreach effectively hamstrings the federal government’s constitutional duty to protect federal property and personnel.
The facts remain clear: organized leftist groups are systematically attempting to obstruct federal immigration enforcement through intimidation and violence, while Democrat-controlled local governments actively enable this behavior through selective non-enforcement of existing laws.
Governor Abbott’s deployment maintains thousands of Texas National Guard troops already securing the southern border, demonstrating Texas’s continued commitment to both border security and the rule of law. The Texas National Guard’s superior training and proven track record make them uniquely qualified to address this crisis.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, while federal law enforcement has begun actively pursuing and arresting violent protesters. The President has appropriately characterized these organized attacks on federal facilities as potential acts of insurrection, carrying severe legal consequences.
This situation perfectly illustrates the growing divide between states that uphold law and order and those that selectively enforce laws based on political ideology. Texas’s intervention serves as a powerful reminder that when activist judges and local officials fail to protect federal institutions, constitutional federalism provides a remedy through state action.