The state of Oregon has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after President Donald Trump announced plans to send troops to Portland, state Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced Sunday.
The move follows a memo from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to Governor Tina Kotek authorizing the deployment of 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland. According to Rayfield’s news release, the troops are to be stationed in the city for 60 days to protect federal property “where protests are occurring or likely to occur.”
The lawsuit contends that President Trump lacks the authority to federalize the National Guard in this manner. Oregon’s legal action mirrors a similar lawsuit filed by California in June after the administration deployed 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 said 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.”
CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment.
On Saturday, President Trump posted on social media 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.”
Local officials, including Governor Kotek and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, have strongly opposed the President’s comments and the planned troop deployment.
“When the president and I spoke yesterday, I told him in very plain language that there is no insurrection or threat to public safety that necessitates military intervention in Portland or any other city in our state,” Kotek said during a virtual news conference on Sunday. “Despite this, and with all evidence to the contrary, he has chosen to disregard Oregonian safety and our ability to govern ourselves.”
Governor Kotek called the deployment of troops unlawful and warned it would make residents less safe.
She also revealed ongoing discussions with California Governor Gavin Newsom and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who is facing a similar situation involving the presence of federal agents in Chicago.
“We are all concerned across our country that this is an abuse of power, and we are all trying to figure this out together,” Kotek said.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oregon-sues-trump-over-federal-troops-deployment/
