![]()
A judge in Oregon blocked President Trump from sending the National Guard to Portland, so the Pentagon redirected troops from California to Oregon to get around the ruling.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said Sunday that he will sue the Trump administration to stop this.
“He is using our military as political pawns to build up his own ego,” Newsom said.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said, “There is no need for military intervention in Oregon.”
But protests at ICE facilities have grown increasingly contentious. The Constitution gives the President the power to use the military to protect federal buildings. The Pentagon hasn’t said how it will deploy the National Guard, but if the mission is limited to protecting federal property, it would be within the bounds of federal law. That’s the same reasoning that made the California deployment legal. The troops were federalized to guard federal buildings, not to police city streets, keeping the operation within the President’s lawful authority.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said on Saturday that the White House gave him notice of its intent to send troops to his state soon as well, which he has indicated he will also fight.