California’s National Guard sent to Oregon!
Los Angeles, US, Oct 5 (EFE). –
President Donald Trump sent some 300 federalized troops from California to Portland on Sunday, after a judge blocked him from using the Oregon National Guard, in a clear challenge to the Democratic governors of those two states.
California Governor Gavin Newsom reported that the 300 California National Guard soldiers, who have been under federal command since June, are on their way to Oregon.
“President Trump is deploying 300 California National Guard personnel into Oregon,” Newsom said in a statement.
“This is a breathtaking abuse of the law and power. The Trump Administration is unapologetically attacking the rule of law itself and putting into action their dangerous words — ignoring court orders and treating judges, even those appointed by the President himself, as political opponents,” he added.
Trump reportedly sent the California troops to Oregon after a judge appointed by Trump temporarily blocked his order to deploy at least 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland on Saturday to restore security to the city.
Trump lost a legal battle to dispose of 4,000 California National Guard troops without the state government’s consent.
Although the judge declared the deployment illegal, the White House was allowed to maintain control over the 300 California soldiers who were deployed at the time of the court ruling.
Trump threatened to militarize Democratic states that do not support his immigration policies. On Sunday, the president ordered the deployment of soldiers after Oregon’s governor, Democrat Tina Kotek, rejected a request by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to deploy the Guard on her own initiative. This strategy has also been used in Illinois.
The White House ordered the deployment in Oregon, arguing the National Guard must reinforce security amid protests over immigration raids.
Trump has referred to Portland as a war-torn city several times. However, Governor Kotek and other Oregon county and local leaders have refuted the president’s claims that federal troops are needed to quell the protests. They state that they have everything under control and that the demonstrations have generally been peaceful so far.
In contrast, immigration agents have escalated clashes with protesters, according to images captured by the press and witnesses. On Saturday, more protesters were arrested in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building. EFE
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