Portland,Ore. – A federal judge has declined to instantly block the deployment of National Guard units from California and Texas to Oregon, but has expressed strong concerns over the move possibly circumventing her prior order blocking the federalization of the Oregon national Guard. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut issued the ruling Sunday night after Oregon and California filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the deployment.
The legal challenge stemmed from the Trump administration’s decision to send National Guard members from othre states to assist wiht security near a U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, which has been the site of ongoing protests. Immergut had previously temporarily blocked Trump from federalizing the Oregon national Guard, finding the administration hadn’t demonstrated the protests constituted a rebellion – characterizing demonstrations as generally involving fewer than 30 people and “largely sedate.”
“I am certainly troubled by now hearing that both California and Texas are being sent to Oregon, which does appear to be in direct contradiction of my order,” Immergut wrote in her order, as reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield praised the judge’s ruling, stating on X, “The president can’t keep playing whack-a-mole w/ different states’ Guard units to get around court orders & the rule of law.”
The White house Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Monday afternoon that the administration is appealing the decision, asserting the ICE facility had been “under siege” by protesters who she claimed were intent on causing “mayhem and havoc.”
The Trump administration had previously federalized 200 members of the Oregon National Guard the prior Sunday, according to a memo from the Department of Defense to Governor Tina Kotek. Trump stated he hadn’t seen the initial order blocking the Oregon National Guard’s federalization,but criticized the judge,saying,”that judge ought to be ashamed of themselves.”