Legal Showdown in Oregon as Dems Try to Block National Guard

The state of Oregon sued Monday to stop the Trump administration from using the National Guard in the city of Portland to quell unrest that has targeted facilities run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

In June, President Donald Trump called for National Guard personnel to be used to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities and other federal property.  

Oregon Democrat Attorney General Dan Rayfield asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon for a temporary restraining order to block the implementation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Sept. 28 memo that federalizes and deploys 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland. The Hegseth memo said the troops would be deployed for 60 days.

“The president’s response to federalize 200 National Guard members for 60 days is not about keeping people safe—it’s about chasing headlines at the expense of our community,” Rayfield said in a public statement. He added, “Oregon is our home—not a military target.”

Rayfield’s motion argues there is no legal basis for federalization since there is no invasion or rebellion. It also contends federalized troops can’t be used for law enforcement, and it claims the deployment is an infringement on the Constitution’s 10th Amendment.

Trump posted Friday on Truth Social that he is directing Hegseth to “provide all necessary Troops to protect War-ravaged Portland and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic terrorists.” In his post, the president also said that he was “authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”

Antifa, which the Trump administration recently designated as a domestic terrorist organization, has had a significant presence in Portland.

Earlier this year, an Antifa-affiliated group in Portland “doxed” ICE officers and published their names, pictures, and personal addresses online, according to the White House.