Trump Gains Command of Oregon National Guard Amid Portland Tensions

President Donald Trump has secured command of the Oregon National Guard as he seeks to deploy troops to Portland amid escalating tensions surrounding protests. This decision follows a ruling from the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals, which temporarily lifted a lower court’s injunction blocking Trump’s command over the state’s National Guard troops.

On October 19, 2025, the court ruled 2-1, asserting that Trump likely has the authority to federalize the National Guard due to his determination that he could not enforce laws without military support. The judges cited specific incidents of violence involving protesters outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland as justification for invoking a century-old statute allowing presidential control over the Guard.

The judges noted alarming incidents, including attempts to set the facility ablaze, blockades, and assaults on federal officers. They stated, “Protesters attempted to burn the building down, placed chains on the doors, attempted to breach the front door of the building and broke the front glass door.” Following this ruling, however, a separate order from U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut remains in effect, preventing any immediate deployment of the National Guard.

The Trump administration contends that the legal reasoning behind both temporary restraining orders is identical, and therefore the second order prohibiting troop deployment should also be invalidated. The administration’s lawyers emphasized that the majority’s ruling constitutes a significant change in legal precedent, urging the court to dissolve Immergut’s order.

In response to the ruling, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson stated that the President is “exercising his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel following violent riots that local leaders have refused to address,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

While the administration argues that federal property requires protection from protesters, Oregon officials maintain that local police have effectively managed the demonstrations and regularly arrested lawbreakers. The protests, which have been ongoing since June, have drawn both supporters and counter-protesters, leading to a mix of escalating tensions and confrontations with federal agents.

Judge Immergut criticized the administration’s portrayal of Portland as a combat zone, labeling it “simply untethered to the facts.” In her dissenting opinion, Judge Susan Graber pointed out that the protesters’ often humorous or absurd tactics—including costumes—contradict the characterization of the situation as a war zone. She challenged her colleagues to reconsider the majority’s ruling, emphasizing that no significant disruption to law enforcement had occurred in the weeks leading up to Trump’s announcement.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield stated he would petition for a broader panel of the appeals court to reassess the decision, warning that it could grant the President unchecked power to deploy Oregon soldiers with minimal justification. He expressed concern about the implications for civil liberties, stating, “We are on a dangerous path in America.”

Legal challenges surrounding Trump’s efforts to deploy National Guard troops in Democratic-led cities have proliferated. In California, a court recently ruled that Trump’s deployment of thousands of National Guard troops in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts military involvement in civilian law enforcement.

Despite these challenges, the Trump administration is pushing forward with its plans, recently requesting the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the deployment of National Guard troops to the Chicago area. The situation in Portland continues to evolve, with local, state, and federal tensions poised to escalate further in the coming days.