Officials in Oregon have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops in Portland, adding to legal battles against President Trump\u2019s use of troops in major cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The state of Oregon and city of Portland filed a joint lawsuit<\/u><\/a> Sunday against Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over the deployment of the National Guard to the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The lawsuit, filed in federal court, calls the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland \u201cheavy-handed\u201d and unlawful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The president, in a post<\/u><\/a> on his Truth Social platform Saturday morning, directed<\/u><\/a> Hegseth to \u201cprovide all necessary Troops\u201d to deploy to Portland. The move stems from protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the city, with Trump claiming the building was \u201cunder siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The court filing, though, argued that the protests have involved fewer than 30 people in recent weeks and no arrests have been made since mid-June. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDefendants\u2019 heavyhanded deployment of troops threatens to escalate tensions and stokes new unrest, meaning more of the Plaintiffs\u2019 law enforcement resources will be spent responding to the predictable consequences of Defendants\u2019 action,\u201d the lawsuit states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D), appearing at a press conference alongside state Attorney General Dan Rayfield (D) and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson (D), called the deployment \u201can abuse of power and a disservice to our communities and our service members,\u201d according to KOIN 6 in Portland<\/u><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kotek also marched with residents in downtown Portland on Sunday, saying in a post on social platform X<\/u><\/a> that \u201cwe don\u2019t need military intervention here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As governor, Kotek controls her state\u2019s National Guard. The lawsuit alleges that Trump does not have the authority to seize control of the Oregon National Guard under Title 10, Section 12406 of the U.S. Code<\/u><\/a>, which gives the president the capacity to federalize state national guards if the country is facing an invasion or rebellion or the president \u201cis unable with the regular forces to execute the law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lawsuit also says Trump\u2019s order violates the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution<\/u><\/a>, which states that authority not delegated to the federal government is reserved for states. It also says the move violates the Posse Comitatus Act<\/u><\/a>, which bars federal troops from being used for civilian law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDefendants have thus infringed on Oregon\u2019s sovereign power to manage its own law enforcement activity and National Guard resource,\u201d the lawsuit says. \u201cFar from promoting public safety, Defendants\u2019 provocative and arbitrary actions threaten to undermine public safety by inciting a public outcry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n