Oregon sues Trump administration over National Guard deployment in Portland

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced that the state and the City of Portland have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and top federal officials over the deployment of 200 Oregon National Guard members.

The lawsuit, filed Sunday, names Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security as defendants.

It argues that the President exceeded his authority by federalizing the Guard, which is only permitted under U.S. law in cases of invasion, rebellion, or when federal law cannot otherwise be enforced. “None of those circumstances exist in Oregon,” the complaint states.

“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 in a social media post on Saturday. “I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek urged Trump during a phone call to abandon the plan. “Portland is doing just fine, and I made that very clear to the President this morning,” Kotek said at a press conference, according to KLCC.

Kotek added that Portland is “a far cry from the war-ravaged community that he has posted about on social media” and said her office is not aware of any new federal troop presence in the state. She confirmed receiving written communication from the Department of War offering the option to utilize National Guard troops but said she would not accept.

In a statement included with the lawsuit, Rayfield said Oregon communities are stable and local officials are capable of managing public safety.

“Sending in 200 National Guard troops to guard a single building is not normal,” Rayfield said. He accused Trump of “flexing political muscle under the guise of law and order.”

The dispute in Oregon comes two weeks after Trump signed a memorandum establishing a federal task force in Memphis, Tennessee, to combat violent crime, following an earlier deployment in Washington, D.C.

At the signing, Trump suggested that additional deployments could take place in Chicago, St. Louis, and New Orleans. On Sunday, Chicago saw dozens of armed federal agents in tactical gear patrolling prominent tourist and shopping areas, according to the Associated Press.