A federal judge on Sunday evening halted the Trump administration from deploying any National Guard units to Oregon, just one day after she had already stopped the administration from sending Oregon’s own National Guard into Portland.
The rulings capped off a rapid series of legal moves over the weekend as Oregon and California both attempted to prevent Donald Trump’s deployment of Guard troops in Democratic-led cities.
Legal Rulings Halt Deployments
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut on Sunday evening granted a temporary restraining order requested by Oregon and California. The order stopped the Trump administration from deploying any National Guard troops to Portland, where protesters have gathered around a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building.
This latest ruling followed Immergut’s earlier decision on Saturday, when she blocked the administration from mobilizing 200 Oregon National Guard members to protect federal property.
California Governor Gavin Newsom celebrated the ruling, saying, “The rule of law has prevailed – and California’s National Guard will soon be heading home.” He continued, “This ruling is more than a legal victory, it’s a victory for American democracy itself. Donald Trump tried to turn our soldiers into instruments of his political will, and while our fight continues, tonight the rule of law said ‘hell no.’”
Deployment Disputes Continue
The Sunday ruling came just hours after the administration announced plans to send hundreds of National Guard members from California and Texas to Oregon. During an emergency evening phone hearing, Judge Immergut — who was appointed by Trump during his first term — questioned the legality of the move.
“How could bringing in federalized national guard from California not be in direct contravention to the temporary restraining order I issued yesterday?” she asked, interrupting the federal attorney’s argument.
She pressed further, asking, “Aren’t defendants simply circumventing my order? Why is this appropriate?”
Despite the court’s prior ruling, the Pentagon confirmed on Sunday that 200 Guard members had already been sent from California to Oregon.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said 101 members from the California National Guard had arrived by plane on Saturday night and that additional troops were on their way. Kotek added that the state had received no official communication from the federal government regarding the deployment and could not confirm the troops’ precise locations.
