After months of Antifa rioters creating chaos in Portland, Ore., President Donald Trump has ordered the National Guard to the blue sanctuary city to crack down on anti-ICE protests and other problems.
Trump made the announcement Saturday on his Truth Social platform, and the news prompted an immediate lawsuit from Oregon’s governor and city of Portland officials.
“At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Saturday morning.
The State of Oregon and the City of Portland hit back with a lawsuit, suing to stop Trump from deploying National Guard troops to the city and arguing that it is “unlawful.”
On Monday, they also filed for a temporary restraining order in their lawsuit against Trump officials, according to a news release from the Oregon Department of Justice.
The motion seeks to immediately block the Sept. 28 memorandum from Secretary Hegseth, which federalizes and deploys 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland.
The legal battle comes amid months of back-and-forth clashes between protestors and federal law enforcement in Portland, as anti-Trump protestors moved from firebombing Teslas to targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and facilities.
Antifa agitators have held daily protests near Portland’s ICE processing center since early June, even setting up an encampment that has disrupted life—and sleep—for nearby residents while local officials ignore their pleas for help.
As of Sept. 8, the US Attorney’s Office had brought federal charges against 26 people for crimes including arson, assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest, the BBC reported.
Trump has authorized the military to use “full force” in Portland. A reported 200 National Guard members will be used to “protect federal property” where protests are “occurring or likely to occur,” according to a memo sent by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday per the BBC.
Trump doesn’t seem phased by repeated lawsuits trying to thwart his agenda. He has threatened to send National Guard troops to Democratic-controlled cities to help combat crime and shut down increasingly violent anti-ICE uprisings.
And Saturday’s order is another sign he means business amid the administration’s wider crackdown on illegal immigration. The troops will play a similar role as they did in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Trump claimed it would help protect “any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” characterizing the city as “War ravaged” in a Truth Social post.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin discussed Trump’s pending crackdown in Portland and threats of violence against I.C.E. agents on “Fox News Live” over the weekend.
“President Trump is giving our law enforcement the resources they need to carry out their mission, to do their job and enforce the rule of law,” McLaughlin said. “We’re not going to put up with it. This administration is not playing games.”
DHS also has launched a full-court press to dismantle Antifa-aligned domestic terrorists and investigate who is funding the supplies, signs and equipment for rioters.
In a news release, DHS outlined the recent siege of violence and arrests DHS has made to keep America safe from Antifa-aligned domestic extremism.
“Antifa and other left-wing extremists have shot, attacked, issued death threats against, and incited riots against law enforcement,” McLaughlin said. “Enough is enough: if you lay a hand on our federal law enforcement officers, you will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Meanwhile, Democratic politicians have doubled down on sanctuary policies and violent rhetoric against ICE, even in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s political assassination and last week’s deadly shooting at a Dallas ICE field office.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said at a Saturday afternoon press conference that she spoke with Trump and Noem in separate calls in the morning, where she emphasized that Portland is not in need of federal intervention, Politico reported.
“There is no national security threat in Portland. Our communities are safe and calm,” Kotek said on Saturday.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield called Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops “provocative and arbitrary.” Rayfield said it “threatens to undermine public safety by inciting a public outcry.”
Tensions escalated in response to the news, as hundreds of people protested in Portland on Sunday. Later, after dark, they gathered outside of Portland’s ICE facility to do what they have done all summer — disrupt through civil disobedience and clash with federal agents.
Portland Police reportedly deployed “rubber balls” to disperse crowds, while federal agents used shields and other crowd control tactics. Two people were arrested by Portland police, KPTV FOX 12 reported.
It’s unclear when the Guard members will actually be deployed to Portland especially with the pending legal battle, CBC News reported, adding that Trump has been threatening this for some time.
“Have you seen Portland at all?” Trump said from the Oval Office on Sept. 19. “Take a look at what’s happening in Portland. It’s been going on for years. It’s just people out of control. We’re going to stop that very soon.”
“Putting our own military on our streets is an abuse of power and a disservice to our communities and our service members,” Kotek responded per the CBC News report.
The administration is targeting domestic terrorists and Antifa as incidents of violence, especially against ICE agents and federal law enforcement, continue to make daily headlines.
McLaughlin said ICE agents are facing a 1000% percent increase in assaults and these organized, paid rioters and anarchists have since turned on ICE facilities.
“We’re seeing a lot of paid protestors,” McLaughlin told Fox News’ Kevin Corke. “They actually do this full time for a living. They’ll go from city to city, whether it be Portland, Chicago or Los Angeles. They’re showing up; they don’t even know what the heck they are protesting for. They’re just there to create chaos, to obstruct our officers and cause violence, which we’re seeing a lot of.”
The protestors surround and antagonize law enforcement and people they deem as “right-wing trolls,” using intimidation tactics and violence. They are growing more lawless and “unhinged” as they attempt to obstruct and assault federal agents across the country, McLaughlin said.
Despite what local officials say, social media and news reports show a different side of Portland — one plagued by homelessness, drug overdoses and mental illness. Earlier this month, Portland police seized nearly $2 million in illegal drugs, KPTV FOX 12 reported.
Portland’s Antifa contingent has been disrupting the city for years, most notably during the summer of 2020 when violent mobs destroyed property and businesses.
Portland protestors set up an encampment near the city’s ICE facility in June after anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles spread to other major cities. Demonstrators have caused problems for over 100 days, prompting residents to routinely call police for help, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Despite 911 calls and complaints from low-income residents who live across the street from the Portland ICE facility, local officials have sided with protestors and even issued a land use violation notice to the Macadam Avenue ICE facility.
Portland officials accused it of repeatedly holding detainees longer than permitted and escalating tensions over ICE enforcement. City officials said they will investigate the rules of its 2011 land use permit, which bars keeping people overnight or for more than 12 hours, Fox News Digital reported.
In late June, a viral video captured a local resident with a cane marching up to Antifa protestors and yelling at them to “turn it down. It’s midnight. We the people need sleep.”
In July, a resident living near the Portland ICE facility filed a lawsuit against the city of Portland to enforce a noise ordinance related to the encampment of protesters, KATU News reported.
But in true sanctuary city fashion, where criminals are protected over law-abiding citizens, a judge ruled in favor of the City of Portland in the lawsuit, KATU reported in a follow-up article.
