Topline
Officials from Oregon filed a lawsuit in Federal court on Sunday evening seeking to block the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard in Portland, hours after the Defense Department notified the state’s leaders that it was deploying troops in the city after the president’s orders.
Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek speaks at a news conference in Portland, Ore.
Associated Press
Key Facts
In a federal court filing, the state of Oregon and the city of Portland argued that: “Far from promoting public safety,” the Trump administration’s “provocative and arbitrary actions threaten to undermine public safety by inciting a public outcry.”|
Earlier on Sunday, the Defense Department informed state leaders via a memo that 200 members of the Oregon National Guard were being federalized and deployed in Portland for 60 days to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel and government facilities.
The suit, which names President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as defendants, labels the troop deployment an “overreach,” noting that the protests it intends to target have been “small…involving less than thirty people.”
The state argues that the “heavy-handed deployment of troops threatens to escalate tensions and stokes new unrest,” and the state and city’s law enforcement resources will then have to respond to “the predictable consequences” of this action.
The suit also argues the deployment violates the 10th Amendment guarantee that the police power “resides with the states, not the federal government.”
“By singling out a particular disfavored jurisdiction for political retribution, these actions also eviscerate the constitutional principle that the states’ sovereignty should be treated equally,” the suit added.
What Have Oregon State Officials Said About The Deployment?
In a press conference on Saturday, Oregon’s Democratic Governor Tina Kotek said: “There is no insurrection, there is no threat to national security and there is no need for military troops in our major cities. We do not need or want federal troops in Oregon stoking fear, creating conflict and frankly escalating a situation that is under control…Oregon is our home. It is not a military target. Any deployment would be an abuse of power and a misuse of federal troops.”
What Has The White House Said About The Deployment?
In a statement shared with various news outlets, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said: “President Trump is using his lawful authority to direct the National Guard to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following months of violent riots where officers have been assaulted and doxxed by left-wing rioters.”
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2025/09/29/what-we-know-about-the-national-guard-deployment-in-portland-as-oregon-sues-trump-administration/
