Trump administration sending California National Guard troops to Oregon

The Trump administration deployed more than 100 California National Guard members to Oregon overnight into Sunday, officials there said, and more are expected after a judge temporarily blocked the administration from deploying that state’s guard to Portland.

Gov. Tina Kotek said in a statement on Sunday that she is aware that 101 federalized California National Guard members arrived in Oregon on Saturday night and that it is her understanding that more are on the way.

“We have received no official notification or correspondence from the federal government regarding this action by the President,” she said. “This action appears to [be] intentional to circumvent yesterday’s ruling by a federal judge.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state’s 300 National Guard troops being sent to Oregon had already been federalized in response to unrest in Los Angeles. 

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson confirmed the deployment, saying, “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement.”

On Saturday night, U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, who was appointed by President Trump during his first term, issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump administration from sending the National Guard. The move came after Mr. Trump said he would send troops to the city to handle “domestic terrorists.“

Immergut said the relatively small protests the city has seen did not justify the use of federalized forces and allowing the deployment could harm Oregon’s state sovereignty. The restraining order is set to expire on Oct. 18, according to court records.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland has recently been the site of nightly protests.

“The facts haven’t changed. There is no need for military intervention in Oregon,” Kotek said. “There is no insurrection in Portland. No threat to national security. Oregon is our home, not a military target.”

Following the ruling, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson indicated an appeal was likely, saying in a statement that “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.”  

Newsom said he plans to sue the Trump administration for federalizing his state’s guard to send to Oregon. Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement that California personnel were on their way Sunday and called the deployment “a breathtaking abuse of the law and power.”

“The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. military as a political weapon against American citizens,” Newsom said in the statement. “We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the president of the United States.”

The California National Guard referred the Associated Press’ questions to the Defense Department. A department spokesperson declined to comment.

Mr. Trump has characterized both Portland and Chicago as cities rife with crime and unrest, calling the former a “war zone” and suggesting apocalyptic force was needed to quell problems in the latter. Since the start of his second term, he has sent or talked about sending troops to 10 cities.

Mr. Trump authorized the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago on Saturday.

Mr. Trump deployed the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in the District of Columbia. 

On Saturday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said that the Trump administration intends to federalize 300 Illinois National Guard members after he was offered an ultimatum to deploy the troops himself but refused.

Last month, Mr. Trump signed a presidential memorandum mobilizing federal law enforcement agents to Memphis, Tennessee, at the request of the Tennessee governor.