Oregon has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block the deployment of 200 National Guard troops to Portland. State officials say President Donald Trump’s description of the city as “war ravaged” is false.
Governor Tina Kotek said she was informed by the Pentagon that Trump had seized control of Oregon’s reservists under his claimed authority to suppress rebellion or lawlessness. Kotek told the president during a phone call that there is no insurrection or public safety threat that requires military intervention in Portland.
A Pentagon memo dated Sunday, signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, stated that 200 members of the Oregon National Guard would be called into federal service immediately for 60 days.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield called Trump’s action unlawful. The decision to assert federal control over state troops was not in response to a foreign invasion or mass unrest but followed a small protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office.
Local officials say law enforcement already has the situation under control. Kotek explained that peaceful demonstrations are happening near a single federal facility. Portland police are managing the protests, and unlawful activity is being addressed by holding accountable anyone who crosses the line.
The state’s lawsuit points out that Trump’s claims about the ICE facility being “under siege” and Portland residents living “like in Hell” appear based on a single Fox News report. That report incorrectly combined social media videos of a current small protest with footage from larger protests in 2020 in another part of the city.
Rayfield said Trump may be relying on “social media gossip” to form his views or may be intentionally misleading the public about the situation in Portland. Kotek added that she tried to clarify the city’s current peaceful conditions during a call with the president on Saturday. Portland is now a vibrant city, years removed from the pandemic-era racial justice protests.
Kotek stressed that Trump has been misinformed about current events. She said video shown in recent media reports was from 2020 and not related to the recent anti-ICE protest. She emphasized that demonstrations at a single federal facility are routine and handled by local authorities.
“What I said to the president is, ‘I don’t understand what information you have,’” Kotek said. She added that the federal courthouse is not under attack, contrary to what Trump had been told. The governor urged the president not to rely on outdated footage or reports when assessing current events in Portland.
State officials argue that federal troops are unnecessary and that Trump’s actions could escalate tensions without cause. The lawsuit reflects ongoing legal challenges to presidential authority over state National Guard troops when there is no clear threat to public safety.
As the case moves through federal court, it highlights the tension between federal power and state authority. Oregon is asking the court to prevent the deployment of troops, asserting that relying on false information to justify military action violates state rights and federal law.
The dispute comes amid a history of peaceful demonstrations and ongoing efforts by local law enforcement to manage protests. State leaders maintain that military intervention in Portland is both unnecessary and legally questionable, and they are seeking a swift court decision to protect public safety and uphold state authority.
