President Trump’s most recent plan to deploy the National Guard in American cities is already facing legal roadblocks
Oregon and its largest city, Portland, are suing to block President Donald Trump from deploying the state’s National Guard, calling it an unconstitutional abuse of power.
“Far from promoting public safety, Defendants’ provocative and arbitrary actions threaten to undermine public safety by inciting a public outcry,” the state and city contend in the lawsuit filed Sunday in federal court in Portland.
“I think this is a sad day for our country, a sad day for Oregon that the president of the United States does not listen to local leaders about what they need,” Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, told reporters during a videoconference shortly after the suit was filed.
“When the president and I spoke yesterday, I told him in very plain language there is no insurrection or threat to public safety that necessitates military intervention in Portland or any other city in our state,” Kotek said. “Putting our own military on our streets is an abuse of power … Local law enforcement has this under control.”
“It’s actually un-American, if you think about it, to use the military against our own citizens but that’s exactly what’s happening right now, across our country,” Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield (D) told the press conference.
He said his office plans to file within the next day for a temporary restraining order against the deployment.
The lawsuit follows Trump’s announcement on social media Saturday that he was ordering the Defense Department to send troops to Portland to use “full force, if necessary,” to combat protests that he said were interfering with immigration enforcement. Trump described the decision as the result of a request from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“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,” he wrote.
Oregon officials say the Pentagon followed through on Trump’s order on Sunday morning, calling up 200 members of the state’s 6,500-member National Guard contingent. State officials say even the relatively small call-up could damage the state’s ability to respond to emergencies.
Politico reported that one anonymous official said they expect it to be a National Guard mission that would look similar to Los Angeles and Washington, which was focused on “supporting federal and local law enforcement,” by doing logistics and not much more.
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Trump’s powers to deploy federal troops domestically has already been challenged in court. A federal judge in September found that his use of military troops in Los Angeles was illegal. That district court judge paused his own ruling, and it was stayed by a federal appellate court while the appeal is ongoing.
Illegals are not our citizens. Therefore we are not acting against our own citizens. And indeed the government has the right to keep peace and protect citizens against unchecked violence.
At the federal level the federal government has the right to protect all federally funded buildings roads etc and that also includes ice facilities
The state of Oregon has already proved to us citizens that they are incapable of protecting citizens from violence. Look at the “Summer of Love ” protests illegal camps tent cities etc where in the state of Oregon was either powerless or chose not to act on the violence and civil distressed at that.
OR seeded this since 2020 They OWN IT
This is pure Leftist schizophrenia. The Oregon government explicitly and repeatedly violated U.S. laws and the President’s orders. They violated national laws on immigration and the defense of US citizens from attack by the criminally disorderly. Then they have the galaxy-sized cajones to sue Trump for trying to enforce the laws they have been violating for years. This law suit needs to replace the old saw about the kid who kills his parents and then claims the mercy of the Court for being an orphan.