President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he will send troops to Portland, Oregon, a city he described as “war ravaged,” to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities that he claimed are “under siege” by Antifa and “other domestic terrorists.” In a social media post, Trump wrote, “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.” The White House did not provide additional comment for clarification on what the president meant by “full force.”
A DHS spokesperson claimed the action is being taken after “weeks of violent riots at ICE facilities.” This is the latest example of Trump’s willingness to use the military in what critics call extraordinary ways, having previously deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles in June and Washington, D.C. last month. The president had forecasted action in Portland on Thursday, claiming to reporters that protesters are being paid “a lot of money” to generate chaos and are “professional agitators and anarchists.”
State and Local Leaders Push Back
State and local leaders in Oregon quickly pushed back against the president’s decision. U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, and Governor Tina Kotek were all vocal in their opposition. At a news conference on Friday night, Merkley said that the president has sent agents to the city to “create chaos and riots here in Portland, to induce a reaction.” He added, “Our job is to say, ‘We are not going to take the bait.'”
Mayor Wilson released a statement on Saturday, saying there is no need to send troops, and that the president “will not find lawlessness or violence here unless he plans to perpetrate it.” Governor Kotek wrote on social media that her office had not been notified why the troops were being deployed and that “there is no national security threat in Portland. Our communities are safe and calm.” Kotek later said she had spoken to Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and had relayed that Portland and Oregon can “manage our own local public safety needs.”
A History of Federal Intervention
The announcement comes after a shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas by a gunman who investigators believe intended to target ICE personnel. Trump had previously designated Antifa as a “major terrorist organization” earlier this month. The White House has consistently emphasized incidents in Portland, which is home to one of the oldest organizations to carry the Antifa moniker, in its statements about the designation. Law enforcement officials from the Department of Homeland Security were also deployed to downtown Portland in 2020 during Trump’s first term in response to protests after the murder of George Floyd.
Author’s Opinion
This deployment is a clear example of political theater. By framing Portland as “war ravaged” and the protests as “under siege,” President Trump is using the power of the military to advance a political narrative that is at odds with the reality described by local leaders. This approach, which prioritizes a show of force over collaboration with state authorities, is a dangerous precedent that blurs the lines between federal and local authority. It is an act of governance that seems designed more to create a specific media image for a political base than to solve a legitimate public safety problem, and it risks further polarizing an already tense political environment.
Featured image credit: PICRYL
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.