Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland on Sunday to protest President Donald Trump’s weekend deployment of National Guard troops to the city.
The move, which Trump justified as necessary to protect federal sites and restore order, has sparked swift legal and political backlash across Oregon.
In a Saturday social media post, Trump declared:
“I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect war-ravaged Portland, & any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, & other domestic terrorists.”
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek responded quickly, pushing back against claims that the city faced imminent danger.
“My office is reaching out to the White House and Homeland Security for more information. We have been provided no information on the reason or purpose of any military mission. There is no national security threat in Portland. Our communities are safe and calm,” she said in a statement, urging residents to remain calm.
The deployment followed a September 25 Presidential Memorandum announcing a new policy targeting “domestic terrorism and organized political violence.” The White House framed the measure as necessary to combat alleged violence linked to anti-fascist movements, citing what it described as a “more than 1,000 percent increase in attacks on ICE officers since January 21, 2025.”
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, arguing that the President’s actions violate statutory limits on federal authority over state National Guard forces. According to the complaint, Trump’s use of 10 U.S.C. § 12406 is unlawful because that statute only permits federalization of the Guard in cases of invasion, rebellion, or obstruction of federal law.
“None of those circumstances exist in Oregon,” Rayfield asserted.
Local leaders are also mobilizing in opposition. More than a dozen mayors across the state issued a joint letter Monday rejecting efforts to “militarize the Portland metro area” and pledging coordinated regional action to safeguard civil rights and community trust.
The order comes amid heightened national tension. It follows the murder of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk earlier this month and Trump’s repeated pledges to confront what he has described as the “radical left.” Just last week, the federal government designated Antifa a “domestic terrorist organization” despite no statutory framework supporting such a label.
The unfolding legal battle over Trump’s order is likely to test the balance of power between federal authority and state sovereignty at a time when concerns about militarization, civil liberties, and political violence are sharply intensifying.
