Trump Orders Troop Deployment to Portland, Authorizing “Full Force”

President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of US troops to Portland, Oregon, authorizing the use of “Full Force” if necessary. The President claimed the move, directed to “Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth,” is to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities from “Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”

Pushback from Local and Federal Democrats

The announcement drew immediate criticism from local Democratic officials who insist there is no need for federal intervention:

• Oregon Governor Tina Kotek stated there is “no national security threat in Portland” and that local communities are “safe and calm.”
• Portland Mayor Keith Wilson asserted the “number of necessary troops is zero.”

Democrats, including Senator Ron Wyden, have urged Oregonians not to fall into the President’s “attempt to incite violence,” citing “credible” reports that federal agents may be “replaying the 2020 playbook” of aggressive deployment.

Legal and Political Conflicts

The deployment raises significant legal and constitutional questions:

• The Posse Comitatus Act: A federal judge previously ruled the National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was illegal and violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which generally restricts the use of the military for domestic law enforcement.
• Domestic Terrorist Designation: Earlier this week, Trump formally designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. However, legal experts point out that no legal mechanism exists in the US to formally establish a purely domestic group as a terrorist organization, and such efforts could face challenges under the First Amendment (protecting free speech and assembly). Antifa, which is short for “anti-fascist,” is a loosely organized movement of far-left activists.
• Arrest Practices: Democratic lawmakers have accused ICE of detaining people who are not a danger to society, citing a Cato Institute statistic that 65% of people detained by ICE had no criminal convictions.

Law Enforcement Focus

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that demonstrators have “repeatedly attacked and laid siege to an ICE processing centre” and cited incidents where “Rose City Antifa,” which they designated a domestic terrorist organization, doxed and sent death threats to DHS personnel.

The US Attorney’s Office has filed federal charges against 26 people for crimes including arson and assaulting a police officer stemming from protests at the facility since June.

The announcement marks a further expansion of federal deployments in US cities, following previous deployments to Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Memphis. It remains unclear whether Trump intends to use the National Guard or regular US military personnel, or what is meant by “full force.”

The video provides a discussion on the legality and potential consequences of the President’s order to designate Antifa as a domestic terrorist group.

Trump designates ‘antifa’ a terrorist group, but experts say legality is unclear.