Trump temporarily blocked from sending troops to Oregon
A federal judge in a ruling late Sunday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from sending National Guard troops to Oregon.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, whom President Trump appointed, granted the states of Oregon and California, along with the city of Portland, a temporary restraining order against the president’s actions.
A day earlier, Immergut granted Oregon officials their request for a restraining order against Trump ordering Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deploy Oregon National Guard troops to Portland.
In response to Immergut’s initial ruling, Trump sought to deploy California National Guard troops to Portland, a move met with swift backlash from California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
In a press release late Sunday, Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) praised Immergut’s latest ruling.
“The rule of law has prevailed. This ruling is more than a legal victory, it’s a victory for American democracy itself,” Newsom said. “Donald Trump tried to turn our soldiers into instruments of his political will. While our fight continues, tonight the rule of law said ‘hell no’.”
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) also said Sunday that Trump ordered Texas National Guard troops to Oregon. Immergut’s temporary restraining order, though, prevents the president from deploying troops from all 50 states and D.C. to Portland.
The president, in initially ordering Hegseth to deploy Oregon National Guard troops to Portland last month, claimed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the city was “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”
Early Saturday, the Portland Police Bureau said it arrested two men on second-degree disorderly conduct charges during a protest outside the ICE center. As of Sunday, the police department has arrested 36 people since the protests began in early June.
Kotek, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, all Democrats, responded by filing their preliminary injunction.
At a press conference announcing the joint lawsuit, Kotek called the president’s move “an abuse of power and a disservice to our communities and our service members,” according to KOIN in Portland.
In a video posted to the social platform X early Monday, Rayfield said he expects the administration to appeal Immergut’s ruling. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called the decision “one of the most egregious and thunderous violations of constitutional order we have ever seen” on X early Monday.
“A district court judge has no conceivable authority, whatsoever, to restrict the President and Commander-in-Chief from dispatching members of the US military to defend federal lives and property,” Miller added.
According to Sunday’s court ruling, the second restraining order expires on Oct. 19.
Updated at 8:25 a.m. EDT