Violent riots have been the norm in Portland before COVID / Envato Market

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he is directing the Pentagon to send troops to Portland, Oregon, to protect federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, escalating his controversial use of the military within U.S. cities.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump said he had ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to mobilize troops “to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.” He added, “I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary,” signaling the possibility of armed force.

The announcement drew immediate pushback from Oregon officials. Governor Tina Kotek said her office had received “no information on the reason or purpose of any military mission,” stressing there was “no national security threat in Portland.” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said, “The number of necessary troops is zero, in Portland and any other American city,” warning that Trump’s actions amounted to “a short, expensive, and fruitless show of force.”

Protests outside an ICE facility in Portland have continued for more than 100 days, leading to repeated clashes with federal agents. Trump and his allies have blamed Antifa and left-wing terrorism for recent violent incidents across the country, citing shootings at an ICE facility in Dallas and the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as examples of what they call a growing domestic terror threat.

While the Pentagon said it stands ready to mobilize personnel at the president’s direction, legal experts noted that Trump’s move could clash with the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts the use of military forces for civilian law enforcement. A federal judge earlier this month ruled that his deployment of troops to Los Angeles during anti-ICE protests violated that law.

Democrats in Oregon urged residents not to escalate tensions. “Trump wants to tell a story of Portland that doesn’t reflect who we are,” Rep. Maxine Dexter said. “The Portland we love didn’t ask for federal agents, and doesn’t want federal agents.”

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