Federal judge blocks Trump from deploying troops in ‘war-ravaged’ Portland as National Guard enters Illinois
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A federal judge in Oregon has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying some 200 National Guard troops to Portland to stop what the president has called “lawless mayhem.”
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued the order Saturday, saying the relatively small protests in Portland did not justify the use of federalized forces and allowing the deployment to harm Oregon’s state sovereignty.
“This country has a longstanding and foundational tradition of resistance to government overreach, especially in the form of military intrusion into civil affairs,” Immergut wrote, later adding: “This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law.”
State and city officials sued to stop the deployment last week, one day after Trump officials said that 200 Oregon National Guard troops would be federalized to protect federal buildings in what Trump declared a “war-ravaged” city.
Despite Trump’s efforts targeting Democratic-led cities, sending the National Guard to Los Angeles to quell anti-ICE protesters in June, before sending them to Washington, D.C., to crack down on crime he claims is rampant, the judge noted Trump’s response did not match the situation in Portland.
“The President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts,” Immergut wrote.
The temporary restraining order issued by Immergut is set to expire on October 18.
Following Immergut’s order, the Trump administration on Saturday filed a notice of appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
“President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said.
Meanwhile, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield called the ruling “a healthy check on the president.”
“It reaffirms what we already knew: Portland is not the president’s war-torn fantasy. Our city is not ravaged, and there is no rebellion,” Rayfield said in a statement. He added: “Members of the Oregon National Guard are not a tool for him to use in his political theater.”
Trump has deployed or threatened to deploy troops to several U.S. cities, including Chicago, Memphis, Los Angeles, and Washington.
California sued the administration in the wake of Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines into Los Angeles. A federal judge earlier this month determined that the administration illegally deployed military assets into the Los Angeles area.
In a similar lawsuit filed in Oregon, state leaders also stated that Trump is breaking the law, as well as Tenth Amendment protections, which ensure that police authority rests with the states, not the federal government.
