U.S. Judge Blocks Trump’s Deployment of National Guard in Portland

A federal judge on Saturday temporarily blocked U.S. President Donald Trump from deploying 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland while a lawsuit challenging the move proceeds, Brendan O’Brien and Dietrich Knauth reported for Reuters.

Oregon’s lawsuit seeks to declare the deployment of the National Guard illegal. (Photo: Oregon National Guard - Oregon Military Department Facebook)

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut in Portland marks a setback for Trump as he seeks to deploy military forces to cities he describes as “lawless,” often over the objections of Democratic officials.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit on September 28, a day after Trump announced his plan to send troops to protect federal immigration facilities from what he called “domestic terrorists.”

The case was initially assigned to U.S. District Judge Michael Simon, an appointee of former Democratic President Barack Obama, but he recused himself after the Trump administration cited comments made by his wife, a congresswoman, criticizing the deployment.

The case was reassigned to Immergut, a Trump appointee.

Oregon’s lawsuit seeks to declare the deployment illegal, arguing that Trump exaggerated the threat posed by small, peaceful protests to justify unlawfully seizing control of state National Guard units.

While Trump described Portland as “war-ravaged,” Oregon officials said the city’s protests had been “small and sedate,” resulting in just 25 arrests in mid-June and none in the following three and a half months.

The state argued that Trump’s move followed Fox News coverage showing footage from much larger, more violent protests in Portland in 2020.