September 28, 2025 / 5:35 PM EDT
/ CBS News
The state of Oregon has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after the president said he will send troops to Portland, state Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced Sunday.
It comes after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sent a memo to Gov. Tina Kotek authorizing 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to the city of Portland, Rayfield said in a news release. The troops are to be deployed for 60 days to protect federal property “where protests are occurring or likely to occur,” he said.
The lawsuit argued that Mr. Trump lacks authority to federalize the National Guard. California filed a similar lawsuit in June after the administration sent troops to Los Angeles.
“Oregon communities are stable, and our local officials have been clear: we have the capacity to manage public safety without federal interference,” Rayfield in a statement.
“Sending in 200 National Guard troops to guard a single building is not normal. If you had a concern about safety at your own home, you’d make a few calls and fill the gaps — not call in an army. What we’re seeing is not about public safety, it’s about the President flexing political muscle under the guise of law and order, chasing a media hit at the expense of our community.”
CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment. Mr. Trump posted on social media on Saturday that he had directed Hegseth to send “all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any other ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”
Local officials, including Gov. Kotek and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, have pushed back on Mr. Trump’s comments and plans to send troops to the city.
Kotek told reporters at a news conference Saturday that she has spoken with Mr. Trump and said, “Our city is a far cry from the war-ravaged community he has posted on social media and I conveyed that directly to him.” She also said the president told her: “Let’s keep talking.”
“There is no insurrection, there is no threat to national security and there is no need for military troops in our major city,” Kotek said. “Military service members should be dedicated to real emergencies.”
Kiki Intarasuwan is a news editor for CBS News & Stations.
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