SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Sunday that 300 members of the California National Guard will be sent to Oregon after a judge blocked the Trump administration's plan to deploy Oregon's own National Guard troops to Portland. This move follows increased tensions surrounding protests and federal property security.
Governor Newsom condemned the deployment as a breathtaking abuse of the law and power, asserting that the commander-in-chief is using the military as a weapon against American citizens. We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the president of the United States, he stated in a press release.
The legal backdrop includes a ruling from U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, appointed by Trump, who halted the federal guard's deployment while scrutinizing the state's justification of deploying federal troops amid relatively small protests. Newsom's response highlights the intense political and legal issues surrounding federal presence in state affairs.
Protests have continued in Portland, especially in front of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building, which has become a focal point for demonstrators. President Trump has expressed a dismissive view of Portland, labeling it as a war zone and justifying the need for military intervention as necessary for restoring order.
As a part of broader military mobilization discussions, the president has considered or initiated troop deployments in numerous urban areas across the nation since the beginning of his second term.
