Portland, October 5 — A federal judge in Oregon issued a temporary restraining order on Saturday, October 4, blocking the Trump administration from deploying 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland to protect federal immigration facilities. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, halts the mobilization amid a lawsuit filed by the state of Oregon and the city of Portland, which argue the deployment is an unconstitutional overreach, according to details received by The Chenab Times.
The order, effective immediately and lasting 14 days until October 18, stems from a September 28 lawsuit by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and Portland officials. They contend President Donald Trump exaggerated threats from “small and sedate” protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility to justify federalizing the state National Guard without consultation. Trump announced the deployment on September 27 via Truth Social, describing Portland as “war-ravaged” and under siege by “Antifa and other domestic terrorists,” directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide troops under a joint federal command in Colorado.
Immergut, presiding after U.S. District Judge Michael Simon recused himself on October 2 due to his wife Rep. Suzanne Bonamici’s public criticism of the move as a “gross abuse of power,” heard arguments on October 3. She expressed skepticism over relying on Trump’s social media posts as legal justification, questioning, “Really? A social media post is going to count as a presidential determination that you can send the National Guard to cities?” The judge also noted the deployment order mirrored one used earlier for California, despite differing protest dynamics.
Oregon officials highlighted that protests near the ICE facility, ongoing since mid-June, involved fewer than 100 participants most nights, with only 25 arrests then and none since June 19. Portland Police Bureau reports described recent gatherings as peaceful, contrasting Trump’s narrative amplified by Fox News clips from 2020 unrest. Gov. Tina Kotek, who controls the state Guard, refused to deploy troops locally and called the federalization illegal under the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits military involvement in domestic law enforcement.
The administration justified the action under Title 10 authority, citing threats to federal property. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem referenced the September 30 arrest of conservative influencer Nick Sortor during a protest scuffle outside the ICE building, where he was released without bond but claimed wrongful detention. Two additional arrests occurred on October 3 for disorderly conduct, one involving chemical spray and a baton. However, Immergut questioned the urgency, noting subdued recent activity.
The case, reassigned after the Justice Department flagged Simon’s potential bias due to Bonamici’s involvement in a September 27 press conference with Kotek, marks a setback for Trump’s broader push to deploy troops to Democratic-led cities like Chicago. Over 100 Oregon leaders, including Bonamici, urged withdrawal, calling it manufactured chaos. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, a Democrat, described it as a “surreal moment” designed to provoke rather than protect.
Hegseth’s memo outlined training for the troops before assignment, but the block prevents their arrival. Oregon argued no law-enforcement need exists, with local police handling security effectively. The ruling echoes a 2020 federal judge’s block on Trump’s Portland deployments under similar circumstances, citing Posse Comitatus violations.
As the 14-day order holds, a full hearing is expected, potentially extending the injunction. Trump has not commented directly, but allies decry it as judicial interference. The decision underscores tensions between federal authority and state sovereignty, particularly in immigration enforcement amid protests against Trump’s policies.
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