Citing deteriorating conditions in Oregon, President Donald Trump said Wednesday the National Guard is in place to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts.
Trump announced Saturday he would send troops to Portland, the state’s largest city, to handle what he called “domestic terrorists.” He said protests were interfering with enforcement of immigration law.
“As I determined on September 27th, when I activated and called into service the National Guard in Oregon, conditions continue to deteriorate into lawless mayhem,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Our GREAT Federal Law Enforcement Officers have not been able to enforce the Laws in Oregon. ANTIFA and the Radical Left Anarchists have been viciously attacking our Federal Law Enforcement Officers, men and women who are simply doing their job, protecting Federal Property, and enforcing Federal Immigration Laws and the Rule of Law.
“We will never allow MOBS to take over our streets, burn our Cities, or destroy America. The National Guard is now in place, and has been dedicated to restoring LAW AND ORDER, and ending the Chaos, Death, and Destruction! We are a Nation of LAW, and we will PREVAIL.”
Trump didn’t mention Portland in his post, and Newsmax reached out to the White House for comment. Demonstrators had reportedly gathered in front of an ICE building in Portland since June to protest the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
On Monday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum to nationalize 200 Oregon National Guard members for 60 days. The order cited “credible threats of violence” at the ICE building in Portland.
Elected leaders and officials in Portland and Oregon have urged Trump to reconsider sending troops, saying it isn’t necessary. Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, reportedly traded texts with a Trump assistant in which she called the president’s decision “unlawful and unwarranted.”
Kotek also spoke Saturday by phone with Trump, a call he referenced Tuesday in a speech to senior military leaders.
“How about Portland?” Trump said. “Portland, Oregon, where it looks like a war zone. And I get a call from the liberal governor, ‘Sir, please don’t come in. We don’t need you.’ I said, ‘Well, unless they’re playing false tapes, this looks like World War II. Your place is burning down.’
“I mean, you must be kidding. ‘Sir, we have it under control.’ I said, ‘You don’t have it under control, Governor, but I’ll check it, and I’ll call you back.’ I called her back. I said, ‘This place is a nightmare. … It’s one of the worst. It’s brutal.'”
On Monday, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, a Democrat, filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to block the deployment in Portland. A hearing is scheduled for Friday.
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