After Washington D.C., Donald Trump announced that he would deploy the National Guard to Portland to minimize “domestic terrorists.” However, after protests erupted and state and local officials challenged the move in court, a federal judge in Oregon blocked it. In her ruling, she wrote that the protests did not justify Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops in Portland.
“This country has a longstanding and foundational tradition of resistance to government overreach, especially in the form of military intrusion into civil affairs,” U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut wrote. She added, “This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called the judge’s decision a ‘legal insurrection.’ Miller said, “The President is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, not an Oregon judge.” On Social media, he wrote Saturday, “Portland and Oregon law enforcement, at the direction of local leaders, have refused to aid ICE officers facing relentless terrorist assault and threats to life. (There are more local law enforcement officers in Oregon than there are guns and badges in the FBI nationwide). This is an organized terrorist attack on the federal government and its officers, and the deployment of troops is an absolute necessity to defend our personnel, our laws, our government, public order, and the Republic itself.”
Legal insurrection. The President is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, not an Oregon judge. Portland and Oregon law enforcement, at the direction of local leaders, have refused to aid ICE officers facing relentless terrorist assault and threats to life. (There are more… https://t.co/vMwF0nlU9U
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) October 5, 2025
Trump’s announcement came after protests against ICE broke out in Portland in the past few weeks. Tensions escalated when conservative influencer Nick Sortor was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge. Although it wasn’t clear what led to his arrest, he complained about it on social media. Sortor insisted that his arrest was enough proof that the police forces in Portland are controlled by the “violent Antifa thugs who terrorize the streets.”
Regarding Sortor’s arrest, Karoline Leavitt said a ‘full investigation’ would be launched into the matter. “This incident is part of a troubling trend in Portland where left-wing mobs believe they get to decide who can visit and live in their city,” the White House press secretary added, “It is not their city. It is the American people’s city and President Trump is going to restore that.”
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Portland Police said in a press release that two protestors were arrested for blocking traffic during an ICE protest over the weekend. Describing the situation, the statement read that when authorities tried to manage the traffic, “Most people moved to the sidewalk, but two individuals refused to move despite repeated requests. They were also observed engaging in aggressive behavior toward each other in the street, both using sound amplification devices. Officers on RRT moved in and arrested two men.”
