State Attorney General argues President lacks authority to federalize troops; White House asserts ‘lawful authority’ to protect federal property amid local officials’ pushback.
The state of Oregon has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the deployment of 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland, State Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced Sunday.
The move follows a memo from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth authorizing the deployment for 60 days to protect federal property “where protests are occurring or likely to occur.”
The lawsuit challenges the President’s authority to federalize the National Guard, arguing that local officials have the capacity to manage public safety without federal interference.
“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. He described the deployment as an overreach, stating, “What we’re seeing is not about public safety, it’s about the President flexing political muscle under the guise of law and order…” The filing comes after California filed a similar lawsuit in June regarding troops sent to Los Angeles.
President Trump directed Hegseth on Saturday 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,” a post he made on social media.
Governor and Mayor Oppose Deployment
Local officials, including Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, have strongly opposed the federal intervention.
“When the president and I spoke yesterday, I told him in very plain language that there is no insurrection or a threat to public safety that necessitates military intervention in Portland or any other city in our state,” Governor Kotek said during a virtual news conference on Sunday. She contended that despite some demonstrations near a federal facility, Portland police and existing federal officials are capable of handling the situation.
Kotek called the deployment “unlawful” and asserted it would make residents less safe. She also revealed she has been in contact with California Governor Gavin Newsom and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
“We are all concerned across our country that this is an abuse of power, and we are all trying to figure this out together,” she stated.
A Portland Police spokesperson confirmed “an almost constant protest down at the ICE facility in South Portland” but did not comment on arrests.
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