PORTLAND, Ore. — In a controversial move, President Donald Trump announced on Saturday his intention to send military troops to Portland, marking an unprecedented use of U.S. military forces within the country.
In a brief statement posted to his social media platform, Trump disclosed that he would instruct Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deploy troops to Oregon’s largest city.
However, he did not provide specific details regarding the legal basis for this deployment, the military branch involved, or other key logistical information.
Trump stated that the troops would be tasked with protecting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities from what he termed “domestic terrorists.”
“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 wrote.
He further indicated that he was authorizing “full force, if necessary.”
The announcement raised concerns regarding the Posse Comitatus Act, a 19th-century law that generally prohibits military personnel from engaging in domestic law enforcement.
Constitutional experts have indicated that the act is integral to the nation’s foundational principles.
Oregon’s Governor Tina Kotek, a Democrat, voiced her concerns in a statement issued Saturday morning, revealing that she was reaching out to both the White House and the Department of Homeland Security for clarification.
“We have been provided no information on the reason or purpose of any military mission,” Kotek said.
“There is no national security threat in Portland. Our communities are safe and calm. I ask Oregonians to stay calm and enjoy a beautiful fall day. We will have further comment when we have more information.”
The local U.S. National Guard, contacted for details, stated that they had no information to provide and redirected inquiries to the White House.
A White House official, speaking on background, referenced a recent history of protests at an ICE facility in Portland.
It was noted that the local U.S. attorney had filed charges against 26 individuals since early June for offenses including arson and resisting arrest.
However, local observations contradicted the characterized threat, as an Oregon Capital Chronicle journalist visited the facility and noted a peaceful scene on Saturday morning.
Oregon’s senior U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, also a Democrat, responded also by posting a video showing the undisturbed facility and telling President Trump, “we don’t need you here. Stay the hell out of our city.
U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter, a Democrat whose district encompasses much of Portland, denounced the troop announcement as an “egregious abuse of power” and “a betrayal of our most basic American values.”
“Authoritarians rely on fear to divide us. Portland will not give them that,” she asserted. “We will not be intimidated. We have prepared for this moment since Trump first took office, and we will meet it with every tool available to us: litigation, legislation, and the power of peaceful public pressure.”
In response to the potential troop deployment, local leaders, including Dexter, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, gathered for a press conference Friday evening.
Merkley characterized the event as a “don’t-take-the-bait press conference,” expressing the uncertainty surrounding the potential military involvement.
“There’s a lot we don’t know,” he stated, indicating a lack of details on the number of troops being sent and which agency or branch of the government would be involved.
Additionally, he emphasized the absence of coordination with the city of Portland in this matter.
“Here is what I do know — the president has sent agents here to create chaos and riots in Portland, to induce a reaction, to induce protests, to induce conflicts,” Merkley claimed. “His goal is to make Portland look like what he’s been describing it as.”
Mayor Wilson added that agents had already been deployed to Portland.
“They are here without clear precedent or purpose,” he stated. “This is happening against the national backdrop of a federal government that may not even be open in a week’s time.”
Further emphasizing local stance, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson noted that, being a sanctuary county in a sanctuary state, they would not assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws without a court order.
If fulfilled, Trump’s troop deployment would represent a dramatic escalation in the use of military forces domestically, a trend that has been seen previously, though not without significant controversy.
Such instances included the deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles in response to protests against immigration policies, despite resistance from the Democratic governor.
Likewise, Trump ordered National Guard troops to assist police in Washington, D.C. during protests, a capacity that had precedent due to D.C. being a federal territory.
However, neither of these rationales apply to Portland, where evidence of violence has been absent from protests against the administration, and where the state government remains firmly within Democratic control.
The city had witnessed extensive protests in the summer of 2020 following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
During that time, Trump deployed federal forces in what he characterized as efforts to safeguard the federal courthouse in downtown Portland.
As developments unfold, the situation remains charged in Portland amid growing national scrutiny.
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