A U.S. federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump from deploying 300 members of the California National Guard to neighbouring Oregon, where he sought to combat protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Judge Karin Immergut’s decision, responding to a request from the California government, came days after the same jurist issued a temporary 14-day order on Saturday to consider Oregon’s lawsuit aimed at preventing the deployment of Oregon troops in Portland.
The judge therefore viewed the new order to mobilise the California National Guard in Portland as an attempt to “circumvent” her previous ruling, according to California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday.
“The rule of law has prevailed, and the California National Guard will soon be home. This ruling is more than a legal victory; it’s a victory for American democracy. Donald Trump attempted to turn our soldiers into instruments of his political will,” Newsom said in a statement.
Trump, who last week called on generals to use troops within the United States to fight the “enemy within,” intended to deploy the National Guard to Portland, Oregon’s largest city, to quell protests against immigration raids.
Texas Soldiers
At the same time, the president ordered the transfer of 400 members of the Texas National Guard to Oregon and Illinois, according to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker on Sunday.
The president previously lost a legal battle in June to deploy 4,000 California National Guard troops without the state government’s consent — a move that had not occurred in the United States for 60 years. Although a judge ruled the provision illegal, the White House was allowed to retain control over 300 California troops who were still deployed when the court ruling was issued, as Trump said he needed them to guard Los Angeles buildings amid protests over immigration raids.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said at a press conference on Sunday that the troops should “be sent home immediately,” emphasising that there is no insurrection in Portland, contrary to how President Trump has portrayed the situation.
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