PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) —
President Donald Trump said Saturday that he will send troops to Portland, “authorizing Full Force, if necessary” to handle “domestic terrorists” as he expands his deployments to more American cities.
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 and Trump is presenting a patently false picture of the city.
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.
Governor says troops not needed
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.
The governor said she “tried to understand his reasoning” during their conversation and his response was just, “Let’s keep talking.”
“This is an American city. We do not need any intervention,” Mayor Keith Wilson said at the news conference. “This is not a military target.”
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.
Trump, however, previously deployed guard soldiers and active duty Marines in Los Angeles even though California Gov. Gavin Newsom opposed it. The federal government is appealing a judge's ruling that Trump's use of the guard was illegal.
Kotek urged the public to stay calm, saying any kind of property damage or violence will not be tolerated.
“Let’s not take the bait,” she said. “Let’s not respond to what the president is trying to do.”
Residents ask, ‘Where’s the emergency?'
Earlier Saturday there was no sign of any federal presence downtown, where people jogged along the Willamette River, relaxed by a riverside fountain or rode bikes on a sunny fall day.
“Where’s the emergency?” asked resident Allen Schmertzler, 72, who said he was “disgusted” by the president’s decision.
Another, John McNeur, 74, called Trump's statement “ridiculous.” He pointed out that he was taking “a leisurely stroll” along the river on a peaceful, sunny day.
“This place is not a city that’s out of control,” he said. “It’s just a beautiful place.”
Trump has also named Chicago and Memphis
Trump previously threatened to send the National Guard into Chicago but has yet to follow through. 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.
Few details from the Pentagon
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.
Oregon's congressional delegation, with the exception of GOP Rep. Cliff Bentz, demanded that the Trump administration keep federal agents and troops out of Portland.
“This unilateral action represents an abuse of executive authority, seeks to incite violence, and undermines the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and states,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote in a letter to Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Noem.
Protests in Portland
Portland, population 636,000, was the site of long-running and sometimes violent racial justice protests following George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police in 2020. The Trump administration sent hundreds of agents, including from the U.S. Border Patrol, for the stated purpose of protecting the federal courthouse and other federal property from vandalism.
Recent demonstrations have been far more muted and focused on the area around the ICE building, located outside downtown, that was the heart of the 2020 protests. Its main entrance and ground-floor windows have been boarded up and tagged with graffiti.
Some federal agents have been injured and several protesters have been charged with assault. Some demonstrators also say they been injured. When protesters erected a prop guillotine earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security called it “unhinged behavior.”
On Saturday all was quiet outside the building, with no signs of protesters or law enforcement.
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.
Portland officials stress the city's recovery
City groups and officials have sought to highlight the recovery of the downtown area since 2020.
City groups and officials have sought to highlight the recovery of the downtown area since 2020.
This summer was reportedly the busiest for pedestrian traffic since before the pandemic, and overall violent crime from January through June decreased by 17% compared with the same period in 2024, a recent report from the Major Cities Chiefs Association found. The downtown has seen a decrease in homeless encampments.
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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