U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he would deploy troops to Portland, Oregon, authorising &ldquo;full force if necessary&rdquo; to tackle what he called &ldquo;domestic terrorists.&rdquo; The move drew sharp criticism from Governor Tina Kotek and local leaders, who described the decision as an abuse of executive authority.
Trump, in a social media post, claimed the deployment was needed to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities that he alleged were &ldquo;under siege from Antifa and other domestic terrorists.&rdquo; The White House has not provided specifics on the timeline or the type of troops to be involved.
Governor Kotek countered, saying, &ldquo;We can manage our own public safety needs. There is no insurrection. There is no threat to national security.&rdquo; Portland&rsquo;s Mayor Keith Wilson added, &ldquo;This is not a military target. We do not need any intervention.&rdquo;
Trump&rsquo;s order mirrors past controversial deployments, including in Los Angeles, where federal troops arrived despite objections from state leaders. The Pentagon confirmed it is prepared to mobilise personnel at Trump&rsquo;s direction, though the Oregon National Guard stated no official request has been received.
Residents also questioned the necessity of federal troops. Many pointed out that the city, recovering from the unrest of 2020, has seen declining violent crime and growing downtown activity.
Portland officials argue Trump is exaggerating the city&rsquo;s challenges to justify federal overreach. Protests around ICE facilities have occurred, but officials say they remain manageable without military involvement.
Meanwhile, Trump has also hinted at sending troops to Chicago and Memphis, sparking protests in those cities over federal intervention.

Gov. Tina Kotek rejects Trump’s move to send troops, calling it an abuse of power

Trump Plans Troop Deployment to Portland

Gov. Tina Kotek rejects Trump’s move to send troops, calling it an abuse of power

September 28, 2025 | 21:01 IST