Trump Orders Troop Deployment to Portland, Authorizes ‘Full Force’ Amid Immigration Protests

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of federal troops to Portland, Oregon, authorising the use of “full force” if necessary, to quell protests targeting immigration detention centres.

Trump announced on Truth Social that he was directing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to send troops to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, which he claimed were “under siege from Antifa and other domestic terrorists.”

The move drew immediate criticism from Oregon officials. Governor Tina Kotek said there was “no national security threat in Portland” and called the deployment “an abuse of power,” while Democratic Senator Ron Wyden warned against “replaying the 2020 playbook” of federal crackdowns on protests.

The Pentagon confirmed it was prepared to mobilise military personnel in support of Homeland Security operations, though Trump’s statement did not clarify whether he intended to use the National Guard or regular armed forces.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, demonstrators have repeatedly targeted ICE facilities in Portland since June, with federal prosecutors charging 26 people with crimes including arson and assault. DHS also accused Rose City Antifa — which Trump formally designated as a “domestic terrorist organisation” earlier this week — of doxing ICE officers and sending threats to staff.

Civil liberties groups and legal experts have raised concerns, noting there is no legal mechanism to designate domestic groups as terrorist organisations and warning of constitutional challenges under First Amendment protections.

Despite opposition from Democrats, some Republicans welcomed the decision. Labour Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer praised Trump for “taking action to keep ICE facilities protected,” while warning that Portland had become a “crime-ridden war zone.”

The deployment comes amid a wider crackdown on illegal immigration, with federal forces already dispatched this year to Los Angeles and Washington, DC. A federal court recently ruled Trump’s National Guard deployment in Los Angeles unlawful, raising new questions about the legality of his latest move in Oregon.