Overview

• Posting on Truth Social, the president directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide troops to protect what he called “war ravaged Portland” and ICE facilities he claimed are under attack, saying he is authorizing “Full Force, if necessary.”
• Officials offered no immediate details on the branch, numbers, timing, or authorities for the operation, and an Oregon National Guard spokesperson said no formal request had been received through the governor’s office.
• Portland leaders, including Mayor Keith Wilson and Sen. Jeff Merkley, said the city did not ask for federal forces and urged residents to avoid confrontation, while Gov. Tina Kotek and Sen. Ron Wyden sought information and warned of potential escalation.
• The move follows an executive order earlier this week designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization and comes against a backdrop of months of protests at Portland’s ICE facility that have occasionally turned violent.
• Legal questions loom over any deployment, with the Posse Comitatus Act constraining active-duty military in domestic law enforcement and a recent federal ruling finding Trump’s earlier National Guard deployment to Los Angeles unlawful.