WASHINGTON — In a move that has escalated a political and legal confrontation, President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of approximately 300 California National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, on Sunday. The decision bypasses a federal judge’s recent ruling that blocked the federalization of Oregon’s own National Guard forces.
The administration stated the deployment is intended to address ongoing protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland. However, the action was immediately met with fierce condemnation from California Governor Gavin Newsom, who announced his state will sue the Trump administration over the order.
“We’re suing Donald Trump,” Newsom posted on X. “His deployment of the California National Guard to Oregon isn’t about crime. It’s about power.”
The legal challenge argues that the federal government’s direct deployment of one state’s National Guard to another, against the governor’s will, is an abuse of power and a violation of state sovereignty.
This stance was echoed by local officials in Oregon, who pushed back against the White House’s justification for the move. Both Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek have asserted that local and state law enforcement resources are sufficient to handle the demonstrations, which they described as confined, contradicting the administration’s portrayal of widespread chaos requiring federal intervention.
The deployment underscores the deepening political divisions over protest management and the limits of federal power, setting the stage for a significant legal battle between the state of California and the Trump administration.
