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Oct. 3, 2025, 1:44 PM EDT / Updated Oct. 3, 2025, 8:19 PM EDTBy Alicia Victoria LozanoThe Trump administration activated 200 National Guard troops in Portland on Friday as Oregon officials waited for a court ruling on their request to prevent the deployment.Lawyers for the city and state had asked a federal judge to grant a temporary restraining order blocking the mobilization. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, an appointee of President Donald Trump, said after a two-hour hearing Friday that she would make a decision by the end of the day or Saturday.But U.S. Northern Command announced hours later, before Immergut issued her ruling, that the troops had been activated by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to support and protect federal personnel and property in the Portland area.That includes the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, which has drawn protests from opponents of Trump’s immigration policies.In an emailed statement, Gov. Tina Kotek said she “will continue to hold the line on Oregon values” while her office waits for Immergut’s ruling. Kotek did not directly address the mobilization of troops ahead of Immergut’s decision. “I know Oregonians want to know what happens next but right now, we need to be patient,” the statement read in part. “I ask that Oregonians who want to speak out about the recent actions do so peacefully and remain calm.”During Friday’s hearing, lawyers representing the city and state said the president’s plan to deploy the National Guard to Portland was counterproductive and could lead to increased civil unrest. They called Trump’s rhetoric about the protests “hyperbole and political posturing” that does not reflect the reality on the ground. “We ultimately have a perception-versus-reality problem,” said Caroline Turco, senior deputy city attorney. “The perception is that it is World War II out here. The reality is that this is a beautiful city with a sophisticated resource that can handle the situation.”Deputy Assistant Attorney General Eric Hamilton countered that the troops are necessary to defend against “cruel radicals who have laid siege” to Portland’s ICE facility. He said protesters lit incendiary devices and threw rocks at law enforcement officers over the summer. Portland lawyers said the examples were isolated incidents quickly handled by local police and occurred several months before Trump issued the deployment order. Immergut appeared skeptical of Trump’s order throughout the hearing, repeatedly asking federal attorneys why troops were necessary when Portland police appeared to have the situation at hand.Portland responds as Trump eyes city for National Guard deployment01:37Residents opposed to Trump’s order have said the quirky and largely peaceful ongoing protests in the historically liberal city stand in stark contrast to the rhetoric coming out of the White House, which paints Portland as an out-of-control center of crime. The deployment comes as three people were arrested Thursday night and charged with disorderly conduct after a skirmish outside the immigration detention center between Trump protesters and supporters. Conservative influencer Nick Sortor, who does not live in Portland, was among those arrested. After his release, Sortor said in social media post that police were being controlled by “Antifa thugs.”Antifa, an abbreviation for “anti-fascist,” is not an organized group and does not have a leadership structure. Last month, Trump designated it a terrorist organization. Portland Police Chief Bob Day said Friday that Sortor’s arrest was not politically motivated and indicated he did not know who Sortor was before his detainment.“The irony here is we were condemned in 2020 for our approach towards the left, and now we’re being condemned in 2025 for our approach to the right,” Day told reporters, referring to months of unrest that erupted after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police.

- Latest News - October 4, 2025

The Trump administration activated 200 National Guard troops in Portland on Friday as Oregon officials waited for a court ruling on their request to prevent the deployment

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