(The Center Square) – Several hundred Portland, Ore., residents took to the streets Sunday afternoon to protest President Donald Trump’s order to deploy federal troops to the city to protect federal buildings, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on the South Waterfront, where protesters have clashed with ICE agents in recent days.
Portland increased its police presence for a planned march and demonstration, which was promoted by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, against the deployment of 200 members of the Oregon National Guard into federal service for a 60-day deployment.
As reported by The Center Square, on Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social: “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. I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”
Kotek responded by saying Trump is abusing his authority by ordering troops to the city, which she said is doing “just fine.”
The governor had this to say on Facebook: “There’s no insurrection, there’s no threat to national security and there’s no need for military troops. Military service members should be dedicated to real emergencies. And that’s exactly what I said to the President when I asked him to stand down in our city.”
Wilson emailed a statement to The Center Square.
The number of necessary troops is zero in Portland and any other American city,” he wrote. “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. Imagine if the federal government sent hundreds of engineers, or teachers, or outreach workers to Portland, instead of a short, expensive, and fruitless show of force.”
Independent journalist Brandi Kruse, host of the Seattle-based unDivided podcast, was in Portland Sunday and Monday. She told The Center Square she understands why the president has called up troops to protect the city.
“The truth is always somewhere in the middle,” she said. “Is it a war zone? No. But is there a necessity for federal intervention? Absolutely, 100% This has been going on for more than 100 days, and it’s clear that Portland police are being told to be hands off.”
Kruse said Portland police have not been allowed to protect their city.
“It should be the city of Portland’s responsibility to remove that crowd and to restore order to the area, because it’s city property outside that facility,” she said. “But since they won’t do it, someone has to. It’s either do nothing or the federal government gets involved.”
On Sunday, Oregon and Portland filed a lawsuit in federal court in an effort to block the deployment of 200 National Guard troops to the Rose City.
The suit names President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the Department of Defense, as well as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, as defendants.
The lawsuit asks a federal court to halt the administration’s deployment of troops into the city.
As of midday Monday, there has been no visible evidence of National Guard troops being deployed into Portland.
