US Judge blocks Trump’s National Guard deployment to Portland, declares action unlawful

US Judge blocks Trump’s National Guard deployment to Portland, declares action unlawful

A U.S. federal judge on Friday ruled that President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, was unlawful and issued a permanent injunction blocking the move — marking a major legal setback for the president’s efforts to use federal troops in American cities.

Trump, a Republican, had earlier ordered National Guard deployments to three Democratic-led cities — Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Memphis — while similar plans for Portland and Chicago became entangled in legal disputes.

He repeatedly described Portland as “war-ravaged” and plagued by violent crime to justify the deployment.

However, District Judge Karin Immergut, herself a Trump appointee, rejected the administration’s argument that anti-immigration protests in Oregon constituted a “rebellion” warranting the mobilization of National Guard troops.

“The President’s unlawful federalization of the National Guard violates the Tenth Amendment, which reserves to the States any powers not expressly delegated to the federal government in the Constitution,” Immergut wrote in her decision.

“With respect to the deployment of any state’s National Guard to Oregon, this permanent injunction order is in full force and effect,” she added.

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The ruling makes permanent an earlier injunction that had temporarily halted the deployment.

Authorities in California, which had opposed the federalization of its National Guard troops for use in Oregon, hailed the court’s decision as a victory for constitutional governance.

“This is a win for the rule of law, for the constitutional values that govern our democracy, and for the American people,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “Once again, a court has firmly rejected the President’s militarized vision for America’s future.”

The dispute stems from unrest triggered by a surge in immigration raids across several U.S. cities — part of Trump’s aggressive deportation push, which became a central theme of his 2024 campaign.

Judge Immergut ruled that there was no evidence of widespread violence, significant property damage, or actions by protesters that obstructed federal immigration officers from carrying out their duties, concluding that the situation did not justify invoking emergency powers.

The Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling, potentially setting up a high-stakes battle that could reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

 

US Judge blocks Trump’s National Guard deployment to Portland, declares action unlawful