President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of US troops to Portland, Oregon, authorising use of “full force” if needed, to suppress protests targeting immigration detention centres.
Trump said he was “directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland”.
He claimed that the move would help protect “any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” adding on Truth Social: “I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”
The announcement drew pushback from Democratic lawmakers, who said there was no need for federal troops to be deployed to the city.
“There is no national security threat in Portland. Our communities are safe and calm,” said Oregon Governor Tina Kotek.
At a news conference on Saturday, Kotek said that “any deployment would be an abuse of power”, and that she was coordinating with Oregon’s attorney general, Dan Rayfield, “to see if any response is necessary”.
“We will be prepared to respond if we have to,” Kotek added.
