President Trump said on Saturday morning that he is sending U.S. troops to Portland to “protect” the city and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities from antifa and other “domestic terrorists.”
“At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary,” Trump added. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, told The Hill the Defense Department is “ready to mobilize U.S. military personnel in support of [Department of Homeland Security (DHS)] operations in Portland at the President’s direction.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, in a statement, cited riots at ICE facilities, law enforcement assaults and the deadly shooting at a ICE facility in Dallas as reasoning for Noem’s request.
“We are not going to allow domestic terrorists to attack our law enforcement,” she said.
Earlier this week, Trump signed an order formally designating antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, giving the U.S. government a broad mandate to probe the anti-fascist movement’s operations or any instances where an antifa member “provided material support.”
“Individuals associated with and acting on behalf of Antifa further coordinate with other organizations and entities for the purpose of spreading, fomenting, and advancing political violence and suppressing lawful political speech,” the White House said in the order that Trump signed on Monday.
But Oregon Democrats on Saturday pushed back on the president’s moves. Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), who represents the district that includes Portland, called the deployment “an egregious abuse of power and a betrayal of our most basic American values.”
“Authoritarians rely on fear to divide us,” she wrote Saturday on social media. “Portland will not give them that.”
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) said she reached out to the White House and DHS for further details, adding that she has received no information about the military mission.
“There is no national security threat in Portland,” she said in a statement. “Our communities are safe and calm.”
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), meanwhile, echoed Dexter, calling it “an authoritarian takeover of Portland hoping to provoke conflict in my hometown.” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) also weighed in, writing in an X post that Trump “wants to stoke fear and chaos and trigger violent interactions and riots” and telling constituents to “not take the bait!” Wyden later posted two videos depicting peaceful scenes in downtown Portland and outside an ICE facility “that Trump claims is under siege.” He added a message for the president: “Stay the hell out of our city.”
“I urge Oregonians to reject Trump’s attempt to incite violence in what we know is a vibrant and peaceful city,” Wyden said social media earlier in the day. “I will do everything in my power to protect the people in our state.”
Saturday’s announcement marks the further expansion of the president’s deployment of troops in U.S. cities around the country. In early August, Trump deployed National Guard members to Washington, D.C., as part of the administration’s effort to combat crime in the nation’s capital.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) said on Friday that federal forces, including the National Guard members, will begin arriving in Memphis as early as next week.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who served one term in the House representing Oregon’s 5th congressional district, welcomed Trump’s decision to send troops to the Beaver State, saying she has seen how “lawlessness” has turned Portland into a “crime-ridden war zone.”
“I’ve seen firsthand how lawlessness has transformed Portland from a beautiful place to live to a crime-ridden war zone,” Chavez-DeRemer said in a Saturday post on X. “Thank you, @POTUS, for taking action to keep our ICE facilities protected and Make America Safe Again!”
Updated at 6:33 p.m. EDT