A federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from deploying 200 Oregon National Guard troops to the city of Portland, Oregon, in response to a lawsuit on Saturday, Oct. 4, according to Reuters and CNN.
The ruling came from Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, who blocked the president from sending troops at least until October 18, stating there was no evidence that recent protests had escalated to the level of a rebellion or seriously interfered with law enforcement.
“The President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts,” Immergut wrote.
The White House said it would appeal.
Oregon’s Democratic Attorney General, Dan Rayfield, filed a lawsuit on September 28, just one day after former President Donald Trump announced plans to send federal troops to Portland. Trump’s statement came in response to his claim that federal immigration facilities were under siege by “domestic terrorists,” including Antifa. On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that he had instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to deploy necessary troops to protect the city, emphasizing that military force could be used if needed.
However, attorneys from Oregon’s attorney general’s office had already told federal officials that the Portland protests were peaceful, with only 25 arrests in mid-June and none since June 19. They argued that Trump’s announcement was based on misleading reports, referencing more volatile protests in Portland in 2020, which had been broadcast by Fox News.
This disconnect in how the situation was portrayed was further highlighted during a court hearing on October 3. Democratic Governor Tina Kotek clarified that both she and the state had communicated to Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that Oregon was capable of handling its local public safety needs without federal intervention.
This lawsuit marks yet another legal challenge to Trump’s use of military forces in Democratic-run cities, following similar actions in places like Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
