By Claire Rush and Chris Megerian
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he will send troops to Portland, “authorizing Full Force, if necessary” to handle “domestic terrorists.”
Oregon Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek responded by saying Trump is abusing his authority by ordering troops into a city that she said is doing “just fine” on its own. She was joined by other government, police and business leaders who all said soldiers are not needed.
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Trump made his announcement on social media, writing that he was directing the Department of Defense to “provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland.” Trump said the decision was necessary to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which he alleged are “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for details on Trump’s announcement, such as a timeline for the deployment or what troops would be involved.
In an afternoon news conference, Kotek said she directly told Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem earlier in the day that troops are not needed and she believes he does not have the authority to deploy the military there.
“We can manage our own local public safety needs. There is no insurrection. There is no threat to national security,” Kotek told reporters.
Kotek said the president did not give a timetable for troops arriving. She said she told him the Oregon National Guard is not needed and she does not plan to call it up.
Kotek urged the public to stay calm, saying any kind of property damage or violence will not be tolerated.
Trump has also named Chicago and Memphis
Trump previously proposed a deployment in Chicago, which has not yet materialized. A deployment in Memphis, Tennessee, is expected soon and will include only about 150 troops, far less than were sent to the District of Columbia for Trump’s crackdown on crime or to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests that turned violent with the troops’ arrival.
In Memphis, about 80 to 100 people marched to a plaza in front of City Hall to protest the expected arrival next week of the guard and more than a dozen federal law enforcement agencies, ranging from immigration to drug enforcement.
Protesters held signs with messages such as “Resources Not Task Forces” and “Memphis don’t need no occupation, Memphis don’t need no government control” — a play on the Pink Floyd song “Another Brick in the Wall.”
Speakers said beforehand that instead of federal troops and agents, Memphis needs more funding for education, crime prevention, youth services and hospitals. The Oregon officials made similar comments.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the Department of Defense would provide information and updates when available.
“We stand ready to mobilize U.S. military personnel in support of DHS operations in Portland at the President’s direction,” Parnell said.
A spokesperson for the Oregon National Guard, Lt. Col. Stephen Bomar, said via email that “no official requests have been received at this time” for Guard support. “Any requests would need to be coordinated through the Governor’s office,” he added.
Protests in Portland
Portland, population 636,000, was the site of racial justice protests following George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police in 2020.
Late Saturday evening, a small crowd of protesters gathered on the sidewalk outside the ICE facility. One person was arrested by federal law enforcement after a brief confrontation as ICE agents cleared a path for a vehicle exiting the facility.
Recent demonstrations have been focused on the area around the ICE building. It’s located outside downtown, which was the heart of the 2020 protests. Its main entrance and ground-floor windows have been boarded up and were previously tagged with graffiti.
Some federal agents have been injured and several protesters have been charged with assault. Some demonstrators also say they have been injured. When protesters erected a prop guillotine earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security called it “unhinged behavior.”
Police Chief Bob Day said at the news conference that his agency does not participate in immigration enforcement. He said afterward that Federal Protective Services is responsible for the ICE building and police would intervene only against vandalism or criminal activity in the surrounding area.
The city said this month that it would issue a land use violation notice to its ICE building because it was used to detain people overnight or for more than 12 hours — violations of its conditional land use approval. DHS said detainees are briefly processed before being sent to other detention facilities.
Portland is one of a number of so-called sanctuary cities. There is no strict definition for sanctuary cities, but the term generally describes places that limit cooperation with ICE.
Since the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Trump has escalated efforts to confront what he calls the “radical left,” which he blames for political violence.
“We’re going to get out there and we’re going to do a pretty big number on those people in Portland,” Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office. He called such people “professional agitators and anarchists.”
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Megerian reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin in Washington, Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed.
