President Donald Trump has sent federalized California troops to Portland, Oregon, after a court injunction halted his plan to deploy the National Guard to the city.
The step has created an uproar among California Governor Gavin Newsom, who criticized the move as an “abuse of power” and promised to fight it in court.
As per officials, the Trump administration skirted the court’s decision by reassigning National Guard troops who were already in Los Angeles following the city’s summer protests. The Pentagon affirmed that 200 members of the California National Guard were shifted to Portland to “support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal personnel performing official duties.
A White House release justified the move, stating it was made to safeguard federal assets and personnel in the wake of violent protests. “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to shield federal assets and personnel in Portland after violent rioting and attacks on law enforcement,” stated White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson. She lashed out at Governor Newsom, blaming him for aligning himself with “violent criminals destroying Portland and cities across America.
Governor Newsom also reacted promptly, describing the deployment as “a breathtaking abuse of the law and power.” He claimed the president was abusing the military to advance political agendas instead of maintaining public safety. “This isn’t about public safety, it’s about power,” Newsom stated. “The commander-in-chief is wielding the American military as a political tool against U.S. citizens.” He also reaffirmed intentions to sue, stating that the public “cannot remain silent in the presence of such arrogant and authoritarian behavior.”
Protests have been held in Portland and other cities in opposition to Trump administration immigration enforcement policies. The president has long singled out Portland as a hotbed of far-left activism and regularly referred to demonstrators there as being members of “Antifa.” In his latest executive order, Trump branded Antifa, a loosely networked anti-fascist movement, as a domestic terrorist organization.
The crisis in Portland worsened a day after Trump signed off on sending 300 National Guard members to Chicago to counter what he referred to as “out-of-control crime.” Chicago itself has seen waves of protest and confrontations with law enforcers. On Saturday, protests went ugly when immigration agents fired on an armed woman after she allegedly crashed her car into law enforcers. Her status is not clear, although officials reported that she took herself to a hospital.
State and local officials have condemned the president’s increasing reliance on the military, describing it as an effort to intimidate and increase federal control. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called Trump out for “trying to create a crisis” and cautioned that it would only increase tensions. In an interview with CNN, Pritzker explained that the action threatened to turn American cities into occupied zones. “They want chaos on the ground,” he explained. “They want to establish the war zone in order to be able to send more troops. They are using all of the levers at their disposal to prevent us from being able to maintain order.”
During the summer, there were daily protests in Los Angeles after a rise in immigration raids, prompting Trump to have the California National Guard deployed there in June. Governor Newsom earlier had contended that the deployment was both unnecessary and counterproductive, as it was said to increase tensions instead of reducing tensions. Trump himself justified his move, insisting they “saved the city from burning to the ground.”
The troops in Los Angeles were subsequently redeployed to Portland under the orders of the president. The action, following the court’s denial of approval to deploy new National Guard troops, has heightened the ongoing struggle between the federal government and Democratic states over the boundaries of presidential powers.
While Portland prepares for more turbulence, there is uncertainty over the legality of Trump’s new move and how his ever-more-militant attitude towards domestic protests is likely to be received. Both California and Illinois governors have indicated that they will keep resisting the administration’s deployment orders, paving the way for another legal and political confrontation between the White House and state leaders.
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