National Guard soldiers salute as President Donald Trump’s motorcade drives by, in Washington. (AP Photo) US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday ordered the Pentagon to deploy 200 Oregon National Guard troops under federal authority as the state pushed against the order and filed a lawsuit challenging the deployment by President Donald Trump to send in the military forces into the Democratic-run city of Portland.
Trump had announced on Saturday to deploy troops in Portland which would be utilised to protect federal immigration centers against “domestic terrorists” and the president authorised the military personnel to use “full force, if necessary”. After Trump deployed troops in other Democratic-run cities, including Los Angeles and Washington DC, the administration has run into several legal challenges and protests.
The Oregon lawsuit filed in the federal court in Portland on Sunday is against President Trump, Secretary Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The lawsuit, filed by Democratic Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, alleges the president of exceeding his powers.
Oregon governor: IGNORED
Pete Hegseth gives the order – 200 Oregon National Guard to be federalized and deployed in Portland https://t.co/5ZZzvxmoHM pic.twitter.com/YlP5NEAzlP
— RT (@RT_com) September 28, 2025
Quoting from the lawsuit, Reuters reported, “Citing nothing more than baseless, wildly hyperbolic pretext – the President says Portland is a ‘War ravaged’ city ‘under siege’ from ‘domestic terrorists.’ Defendants have thus infringed on Oregon’s sovereign power to manage its own law enforcement activity and National Guard resource.”
The lawsuit detailed that demonstrations against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Portland have been considerably small and relatively contained since June. Hegseth on Sunday signed a memo to deploy 200 Oregon National Guard troops under federal authority and the memo was made public as an attachment to Oregon’s lawsuit.
According to data released by the Major Cities Chiefs Association in its Midyear Violent Crime Report, violent crime has plunged in Portland in the first six months of 2025. The report states that homicides have also dropped by 51% compared to the same period a year earlier.
Trump, after returning to the presidency in January, has made crime the prime focus of his administration even as violent crime rates have significantly dropped in several cities across the United States.
(with inputs from Reuters)
