Protests in Portland
Small protests have been ongoing outside the ICE facility since Trump’s second term began in January. While early demonstrations drew modest crowds, recent gatherings have fluctuated between calm nights and occasional flare-ups.
Earlier in the week, as few as ten protesters were present, though tensions escalated Thursday night when police made three arrests after altercations between demonstrators and a pro-Trump influencer from Washington, D.C. On Saturday, around 400 protesters assembled outside the ICE building before federal agents deployed tear gas into the crowd.
Trump has repeatedly described Portland as “war ravaged,” claiming it is “burning down” and like “living in hell.” Local leaders, however, dispute those statements, noting that protests are confined to a single city block, distant from downtown Portland, which spans 145 square miles. Officials have also pointed out that many of the images the former president has referenced appear to date back to 2020, when protests connected to the Black Lives Matter movement led to widespread unrest. Trump had also dispatched federal law enforcement to the city during that time.
National Guard Deployments in Other States
Beyond Oregon, Trump authorized 300 Illinois National Guard members to be deployed to Chicago on Saturday to protect federal property.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson confirmed the president’s order, citing what she described as “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness” that local authorities had failed to control.
Trump has characterized Portland and Chicago as cities plagued by violence and instability, labeling Portland a “war zone” and suggesting that “apocalyptic force” was needed in Chicago. Since the start of his second term, he has either deployed or proposed sending troops to at least ten cities, including Baltimore, Memphis, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker opposed the deployment, stating, “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”
On Sunday, Pritzker responded to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s comments on CNN’s State of the Union, where she repeated the “war zone” claim. The governor criticized the administration’s handling of the situation, saying, “They are the ones who are making it a war zone.”
He added, “They need to get out of Chicago. If they’re not going to focus on the worst of the worst, which is what the president said they are going to do, they need to get the heck out.”
Conclusion
The weekend’s rulings marked a significant legal setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to use National Guard troops in Democratic-led states. As protests continue and tensions rise between state and federal leaders, the courts are set to play a crucial role in determining the limits of executive power in deploying U.S. military forces within domestic borders.
