Portland Mayor Keith Wilson speaks at a news conference in Portland (Picture credit: AP)
Oregon and its largest city, Portland, have filed a federal lawsuit to prevent US President Donald Trump from deploying the state’s National Guard, calling the move an unconstitutional overreach. The suit, filed Sunday in Portland, names Trump, war secretary Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon, homeland security secretary Kristi Noem, and the department of homeland security as defendants, seeking a court order to halt the deployment and declare it unlawful, as per NBC News.The legal challenge comes after Trump announced on Saturday that he was directing the Pentagon to send troops to Portland to “protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” and that he was authorising “full force, if necessary”. According to news agency AP, two hundred personnel from the Oregon National Guard will be put under federal authority and sent to safeguard immigration enforcement agents and government sites, as per a government memo obtained by state officials on Sunday.Democratic Governor Tina Kotek criticised the move, saying in a video conference that there is “no insurrection or threat to public safety that necessitates military intervention in Portland or any other city in our state” and calling the deployment “an abuse of power”, as per Politico. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield echoed the criticism, accusing the administration of deploying the Guard “under the guise of law and order” for political purposes, while Portland Mayor Keith Wilson called the order “unwanted, unneeded and un-American”.The White House, however, defended the action. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Trump is exercising lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel, arguing the deployment will make Portland safer following alleged assaults on ICE officers and threats at federal facilities.The lawsuit parallels a similar legal dispute in California in June, when Trump deployed troops against state objections. That case reached the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which blocked a lower court restraining order and allowed the deployment to continue.State leaders emphasised that recent protests near ICE facilities in Portland have been small, with fewer than 30 participants, and have required no arrests since mid-June, raising questions about the necessity of military intervention.The case has been assigned to US District Judge Michael Simon, an Obama appointee, according to Politico. Kotek urged residents not to confront National Guard members, noting they are “citizen-soldiers”.
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