The state of Oregon has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after the president said he will send troops to Portland, state Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced Sunday.
It comes after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sent a memo to Gov. Tina Kotek authorizing 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to the city of Portland, Rayfield said in a news release. The troops are to be deployed for 60 days to protect federal property “where protests are occurring or likely to occur,” he said.
The lawsuit argued that President Trump lacks authority to federalize the National Guard. California filed a similar lawsuit in June after the administration sent troops to Los Angeles.
“Oregon communities are stable, and our local officials have been clear: we have the capacity to manage public safety without federal interference,” Rayfield in a statement.
“Sending in 200 National Guard troops to guard a single building is not normal. If you had a concern about safety at your own home, you’d make a few calls and fill the gaps — not call in an army. What we’re seeing is not about public safety, it’s about the President flexing political muscle under the guise of law and order, chasing a media hit at the expense of our community.”
Mr. Trump posted on social media on Saturday that he had directed Hegseth to send “all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any other ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”
In response to the lawsuit, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told CBS News Mr. Trump “is using his lawful authority” to send troops to Portland, saying that troops are being sent to protect federal assets and personnel “following months of violent riots where officers have been assaulted and doxxed by left-wing rioters.”
Local officials, including Gov. Kotek and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, have pushed back on Mr. Trump’s comments and plans to send troops to the city.
“When the president and I spoke yesterday, I told him in very plain language that there is no insurrection or a threat to public safety that necessitates military intervention in Portland or any other city in our state, despite this, and with all evidence to the contrary, he has chosen to disregard Oregonian safety and ability to govern themselves,” Kotek said at a virtual news conference on Sunday.
She said that there have been some demonstrations near a federal facility, but Portland police and federal officials there are capable of handling the situation.
“And when people cross the line … there’s unlawful activity, people are being held accountable,” Kotek said.
The governor called the deployment of troops unlawful and said that it will make residents less safe.
Kotek also said she has been in conversations with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who’s also dealing with the presence of federal agents in Chicago.
“We are all concerned across our country that this is a abuse of power and we are all trying to figure this out together,” Kotek said.
