President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of U.S. military personnel to Portland, Oregon, in response to ongoing protests against his administration’s immigration policies. The move comes after months of demonstrations outside the city’s federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility.
“At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete 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,” Trump said Saturday in a post on Truth Social. “I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”
This action would make Portland the fourth U.S. city where Trump has sent National Guard troops during his term. Similar deployments have occurred in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom challenged the deployment in court; while he was successful at the state level, the White House is appealing that decision.
Trump did not clarify whether he was referring specifically to National Guard units or regular military forces. Typically, governors command their state’s National Guard units unless they are federalized by presidential order—a process used previously in Washington D.C., as it is a federal district.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek expressed opposition to the move during a news conference: “There is no insurrection. There is no threat to national security. There is no need or legal justification for military troops in our major city,” she said. “Our city is a far cry from the war-ravaged community that he has posted about on social media and I conveyed that directly to him.” She urged residents not to respond with violence or property damage: “Let’s not take the bait.”
The Pentagon stated its readiness to support Homeland Security operations at Trump’s direction but provided no further details at this time. “We stand ready to mobilize U.S. military personnel in support of DHS operations in Portland at the President’s direction,” department spokesman Sean Parnell said by email.
Local officials warned that deploying troops could worsen tensions rather than resolve them. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson commented: “Our nation has a long memory for acts of oppression, and the president will not find lawlessness or violence here unless he plans to perpetrate it.” Senator Ron Wyden called on Oregonians via social media “to reject Trump’s attempt to incite violence.”
The White House did not respond when asked for comment.
Protests at Portland’s ICE facility have continued since June and have sometimes turned violent—particularly during holiday weekends such as July 4th and Labor Day. Oregon law prohibits local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities due to its status as a sanctuary state.
President Trump has previously threatened financial penalties against sanctuary states; however, these efforts were blocked by a federal judge. Meanwhile, Oregon lawmakers have raised concerns over detainee treatment at ICE facilities and initiated land-use challenges against one such site.
Federal agents have already been deployed by DHS amid rising tensions surrounding both policy disagreements and protest activity led partly by antifascist activists—commonly referred to as antifa—who continue organizing demonstrations locally and regionally.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration labeled antifa as a domestic terrorist organization; however, this designation does not carry legal force because such labels only apply legally to foreign groups under current law.
Despite recent unrest linked with anti-ICE protests, crime statistics indicate an overall decline in violent crime within Portland for 2025’s first half—including homicides dropping by half compared with previous periods—as reported by KATU citing data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association.
