President Donald Trump ordered 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to be federalized and sent to protect immigration enforcement officers and federal facilities after reports of protests outside an ICE field office in Portland. The move was confirmed by a Defense Department memorandum and announced by the White House as part of an effort to secure federal property and keep enforcement personnel safe.
Oregon’s Democratic leadership reacted predictably: Governor Tina Kotek and Attorney General Dan Rayfield immediately condemned the deployment and filed suit in federal court to block what they called an unlawful seizure of state forces. Their argument is that there is no insurrection, no mass unrest, and that local law enforcement has the situation under control — a familiar refrain from city hall elites who have tolerated chaos for years.
The federal memo — signed, according to reporting, amid White House pressure to act — cites protecting ICE facilities and federal personnel; President Trump publicly described Portland as “war ravaged” and said he would use “full force, if necessary.” This administration is finally acting on its core responsibility to defend federal institutions and the rule of law, while Democratic governors posture for the cameras.
State officials insist the president was duped by outdated footage and social media chatter, pointing out that at least some recent broadcasts mixed 2020 protest clips with current, much smaller demonstrations at one ICE office. Fine — if leaders in Salem and Portland want to litigate semantics while their cities are repeatedly undermined by radical agitators, that’s their choice; the federal government has an obligation to stop attacks on federal personnel.
Conservatives should be clear-eyed about what’s happening: this isn’t about politics so much as authority and safety. After bungled responses during the 2020 unrest, successive administrations had to learn the hard way that federal assets and officers cannot be left exposed when local governments refuse to act, and recent precedent shows Washington will step in when federal property is threatened.
Portland’s leaders have spent years excusing violence and experimenting with permissive policies while small-business owners, families, and federal workers pay the price. Their lawsuit reads like a political press release rather than a serious argument about public safety; meanwhile hardworking Oregonians deserve leaders who will secure their streets and support law enforcement, not stand between them and help.
If this administration is willing to back federal law enforcement and National Guard deployments when federal facilities are threatened, grassroots America should applaud — not whine. The court fight will play out, but voters will remember who stood for order and who cheered on the mob; patriotic Americans know that protecting innocent people and preserving institutions is not extremism, it is duty.
