Trump directs U.S. military deployment to Portland to shield ICE facilities from “domestic terrorists”

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday he is deploying troops to Portland, Oregon, authorizing them to use “full force, if necessary,” to protect federal immigration facilities against what he called “domestic terrorists.”

Trump’s directive names Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as the executor of the order, instructing him to “provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege” from Antifa and other domestic threats. He declared that federal forces may employ “full force, if necessary,” though he provided no detailed rules of engagement or a timeline. 

Portland’s mayor, Keith Wilson, responded swiftly, declaring that “the number of necessary troops is zero” in his city and warning against federal overreach. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said her office is seeking more information from the White House, emphasizing there is “no national security threat in Portland.” 

Senator Ron Wyden accused Trump of reviving the 2020 playbook, sending troops into a Democratic city to provoke unrest. Meanwhile, the Pentagon stated it “stands ready to mobilize U.S. military personnel in support of DHS operations in Portland at the President’s direction.” But it offered no clarity on whether active-duty, National Guard, or mixed forces would be used. 

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the move is meant to protect ICE agents amid escalating protests against immigration raids. Trump’s announcement comes amid a broader push: in recent days he has characterised activists and protestors as “professional agitators” and blamed them for attempting to burn federal buildings, though his administration has presented no evidence publicly to support those claims.

During his earlier term, Trump had sent federal agents into Portland during the George Floyd protests, moves that were widely criticized for constitutional overreach and violation of laws limiting domestic military deployment.The legal and political stakes are high: deploying troops domestically is tightly constrained under U.S. law (e.g. the Posse Comitatus Act), and critics say this latest order may push those limits further. 

This move also comes on the heels of Trump designating Antifa as a domestic “terrorist organization” last week, a decision that has drawn legal and civil liberties scrutiny.

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