A Bold Move Sparks a Legal Battle: Trump Sends California National Guard to Oregon
President Donald Trump has taken a controversial step by redeploying California National Guard troops to Oregon, following a judge’s temporary injunction that blocked his administration from using Oregon’s own National Guard in Portland. This decision has ignited fierce opposition from the Democratic governors of both states, who have vowed to challenge the move in court.
According to a Pentagon spokesperson, approximately 200 federalized California National Guard members, previously stationed around Los Angeles, are being reassigned to Portland. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek confirmed that about 100 troops arrived on Saturday, with another 100 expected to arrive on Sunday. However, Kotek emphasized that the federal government did not formally notify Oregon about this deployment.
Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office indicated that up to 300 federalized California National Guard personnel could eventually be sent to Oregon. This development follows a similar announcement from Illinois’ governor just a day earlier, who activated troops in his state amid rising tensions.
Governor Kotek criticized the federal government’s actions as an attempt to sidestep Saturday’s court ruling that barred the deployment of Oregon’s National Guard. "The situation on the ground in Oregon remains unchanged," she stated during a Sunday press conference. "There is no justification for military intervention here. Portland is not experiencing an insurrection, nor is there a threat to national security."
Oregon and California Take Legal Action
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield revealed that Oregon, along with the city of Portland and California, is seeking an amended temporary restraining order to prevent any National Guard deployments. "What was deemed unlawful yesterday remains unlawful today," Rayfield asserted. "This isn’t a minor procedural detail for the president to circumvent, like a teenager ignoring parental rules."
Rayfield further stressed Oregon’s firm stance against what he called the president’s attempt to normalize the use of the U.S. military in American cities. California’s Governor Newsom echoed this sentiment, condemning the deployment as "a breathtaking abuse of law and power." He explained that these troops had been federalized months ago, despite his objections, in response to unrest in Los Angeles, and are now being used under the president’s direct control.
"The commander-in-chief is weaponizing the U.S. military against American citizens," Newsom declared.
California has joined Oregon’s lawsuit, challenging the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to Portland as both unlawful and an unnecessary overreach of federal authority. The amended complaint filed Sunday detailed that the 300 California National Guard members, already federalized and stationed in Southern California until early November, are now slated for imminent deployment to Portland.
The lawsuit argues that while Trump initially deployed these troops to Los Angeles in June to enforce immigration laws, he lacks legal authority to redirect them to Oregon for a different mission. "They cannot hold federalized National Guard members hostage by changing their mission and sending them to another state," the filing states.
The legal challenge highlights that the president’s power to deploy National Guard troops is limited to very specific scenarios: repelling invasions, suppressing rebellions, or enforcing federal laws. "There is no rebellion in Portland," the lawsuit insists.
In a related development, an attorney from the California Military Department disclosed that the U.S. Army Northern Command informed them on Sunday that the 300 federalized troops would remain under federal control through the end of January.
Protests Are Localized, Yet Military Response Escalates
The protests in Portland have centered around the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building, with nightly demonstrations confined to a single city block. Despite this, President Trump has described Portland as "war-ravaged," a characterization that Oregon officials and residents have strongly disputed.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, appointed by Trump during his first term, issued the temporary block on deploying Oregon’s National Guard, citing the small scale of protests and the potential harm to Oregon’s state sovereignty. "The protests do not justify the use of federalized forces," she ruled, pending further legal arguments.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta accused the president of targeting cities that lean Democratic or whose leaders openly criticize his administration. "This is our National Guard, not Trump’s personal army," Bonta said during a Sunday evening press briefing. "He cannot use our military troops as his own police force."
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (note: the original text says Keith Wilson, but the actual mayor is Ted Wheeler) expressed concern over federal agents’ aggressive tactics during protests outside the ICE facility, including indiscriminate use of pepper spray and impact munitions. "This heavy-handed approach risks escalating tensions in what has otherwise been a peaceful protest," Wheeler said. The city has reported these actions to the Department of Justice’s civil rights division.
Illinois Also Sees National Guard Deployment Amid Opposition
President Trump has repeatedly labeled cities like Portland and Chicago as hotbeds of crime and unrest, and since the start of his second term, he has authorized or discussed sending troops to ten cities nationwide.
On Saturday, Trump approved the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard members to protect federal officers and property in Chicago. However, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office stated that the situation does not warrant military involvement and that the governor opposes the deployment under any status. Pritzker also noted that he had not been contacted by federal officials regarding this decision.
This unfolding situation raises critical questions about the balance of power between federal and state authorities, the appropriate use of military forces in domestic affairs, and the political implications of deploying troops in American cities. Is this a necessary step to maintain order, or an overreach that threatens civil liberties and state sovereignty? What do you think? Share your thoughts and join the conversation below.
Reporters Weber from Los Angeles and Brook from New Orleans contributed to this story, with additional reporting by Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island, and Josh Boak in Washington.
