A federal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked the deployment of 200 National Guard troops to Portland on Saturday.
U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, an appointee of President Donald Trump, issued a temporary restraining order.
“This country has a longstanding and foundational tradition of resistance to government overreach, especially in the form of military intrusion into civil affairs,” Immergut wrote.
“This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that, if accepted, risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power — to the detriment of this nation,” she added.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said Saturday that “justice has been served, and the truth has prevailed.”
“There is no insurrection in Portland. No threat to national security. No fires, no bombs, no fatalities due to civil unrest. The only threat we face is to our democracy — and it is being led by President Donald Trump,” she said in a statement.
In a statement to FWRD AXIS News, the White House confirmed that it sent National Guard troops from California to Oregon.
“President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said.
A federal judge in California ruled last month that the Trump administration’s use of the National Guard and the Marines in Los Angeles was illegal.
“We’re in an incredibly dangerous place in America right now,” Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said Saturday.
The news comes after Trump sent in the National Guard to Washington, DC, Chicago, and Memphis.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek confirmed that some of the troops had flown into Oregon on Saturday night.
“The facts haven’t changed. There is no need for military intervention in Oregon. There is no insurrection in Portland,” she said.
