SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — President Donald Trump is sending California National Guard members to Oregon after a judge temporarily blocked his administration from deploying that state’s guard to Portland, and Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged Sunday to fight the move in court.
“At the direction of the President, approximately 200 federalized members of the California National Guard are being reassigned from duty in the greater Los Angeles area to Portland,
Oregon to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal personnel performing official duties, including the enforcement of federal law, and to protect federal property,” chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said Sunday in an emailed statement.
The move comes a day after Illinois' governor made a similar announcement about troops in his state being activated.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said that 101 California National Guard members arrived in her state Saturday night by plane and more were on the way. Kotek said there had been no formal communication with the federal government about the deployment.
“This action appears to (be) intentional to circumvent yesterday’s ruling by a federal judge,” Kotek said in a statement Sunday. “There is no need for military intervention in Oregon. There is no insurrection in Portland. No threat to national security. Oregon is our home, not a military target.”
A spokesperson for Kotek said Sunday he could not verify the current location of the Guard members who arrived in Oregon on Saturday.
Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement that California personnel were on their way Sunday and called the deployment “a breathtaking abuse of the law and power.” He said these troops were “federalized” and put under the president’s control months ago over his objections, in response to unrest in Los Angeles.
“The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. military as a political weapon against American citizens,” Newsom said. “We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the president of the United States.”
Newsom said earlier Sunday that about 300 guard members were being sent from California. Messages were sent to his office seeking to clarify the discrepancy.
A Trump-appointed federal judge in Oregon on Saturday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to deploy the Oregon National Guard in Portland to protect federal property amid protests after Trump called the city “war-ravaged.” Oregon officials and Portland residents alike said that description was ludicrous.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, issued the order pending further arguments in a lawsuit brought by the state and city. She said the relatively small protests the city has seen did not justify the use of federalized forces and allowing the deployment could harm Oregon’s state sovereignty.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said Sunday that the city continues to seek legal means to halt any National Guard deployment.
“This action circumvents the court’s decision and threatens to inflame a community that has remained peaceful,” Wilson said. “Our legal team is coordinating with our partners and will immediately pursue all lawful steps to enforce the judge’s order and protect Portlanders’ rights.”
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland has recently been the site of nightly protests.
Trump has characterized both Portland and Chicago as cities rife with crime and unrest, calling the former a “war zone” and suggesting apocalyptic force was needed to quell problems in the latter. Since the start of his second term, he has sent or talked about sending troops to 10 cities.
Trump authorized the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago on Saturday.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s office said the situation in Chicago "does not require the use of the military and, as a result, the Governor opposes the deployment of the national guard under any status.” Pritzker didn’t receive any calls from federal officials about the deployment, his office said.
