Oregon Leaders Prepare Legal, Legislative Action Against Trump's National Guard Plans in Portland

Oregon leaders, including Attorney General Dan Rayfield and Governor Tina Kotek, have expressed readiness to take legal and legislative action against President Donald Trump’s potential deployment of the National Guard in Portland following his comments about "cleaning up" the city and targeting protesters. Trump hinted at sending National Guard troops to Portland, referencing a Fox News segment showing complaints about protest-related violence and noise, though crime data often contradicts his claims about crime in Democrat-led cities. This follows a recent federal judge's ruling that Trump’s prior deployment of the National Guard and military personnel in Los Angeles was illegal, as it violated laws against using military force for domestic law enforcement and raised concerns about the creation of a national police force under the president. Rayfield emphasized coordination with other state attorneys general to challenge any overreach by Trump in deploying the National Guard. The Oregon officials have been preparing for such a scenario since Trump took office in January. However, the federal court ruling limiting such deployments currently applies only to California, leaving ambiguity for other states like Oregon.