A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard in Portland. The judge ruled Sunday, stating that there’s no credible evidence to suggest the protests were out of control or more than sporadically violent.
National Guard troops had been staging at training bases after the administration activated units from both Oregon and California. The troops were ordered to protect the city’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, a focal point for protests since last summer.
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The ruling
Judge Karen Immergut, a Trump appointee, ruled the move exceeded the president’s authority, violated state sovereignty and did not meet the constitutional definition of a rebellion.
“Based on the trial testimony, this Court finds no credible evidence that during the approximately two months before the President’s federalization order, protests grew out of control or involved more than isolated and sporadic instances of violent conduct that resulted in no serious injuries to federal personnel,” she wrote.
The ruling comes after Immergut issued two orders in October that blocked the deployment of troops leading to the trial. One of those orders was paused in the Circuit Court of Appeals. However, it later vacated that decision and said it would rehear the matter.
The administration is expected to appeal the latest ruling.
Similar guard deployments to cities like Chicago have also faced resistance from local officials and sparked legal challenges.
