Trump Orders Troops to Portland, Authorizes ‘Full Force if Necessary’

President Donald Trump announced the deployment of U.S. troops to Portland, Oregon, and federal immigration facilities nationwide Saturday, claiming he is defending the country against “domestic terrorists.”

Despite no widespread recent reports confirming that narrative, Trump described Portland as a city “under siege” in his announcement.

“At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”

The announcement triggered immediate backlash in Portland, as state and city leaders say a surge of federal agents has begun arriving — but the state and city never called for them.

“We have been provided no information on the reason or purpose of any military mission. There is no national security threat in Portland,” Governor Tina Kotek (D) told Democracy Docket in a statement. “Our communities are safe and calm. I ask Oregonians to stay calm and enjoy a beautiful fall day. We will have further comment when we have more information.”

Oregon U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D) meanwhile warned residents not to be drawn into provocation by federal agents.

“We now have a sudden influx of federal agents in our city. We did not ask for them to come,” Mayor Keith Wilson said in a press briefing Friday. “They are here without precedent or purpose.”

In response to a recent shooting in Dallas at an ICE field office — where no agent was harmed but one immigrant was killed and two were wounded — Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered DOJ agents to guard ICE facilities nationwide.

Trump escalating to a full troop deployment to Portland — a city that has recently seen smaller-scale, peaceful protests rather than ongoing violence — amplifies his long-running narrative that Democratic-run cities are out of control and need “federal intervention.”

During his prior presidency, Trump sent federal agents into the city during anti-racism protests and frequently cited it as an example of “lawlessness” in left-leaning cities.

“President Trump has directed ‘all necessary Troops’ to Portland, Oregon. The number of necessary troops is zero, in Portland and any other American city,” Wilson added in a statement following Trump’s announcement Saturday. “Our nation has a long memory for acts of oppression, and the president will not find lawlessness or violence here unless he plans to perpetrate it.”

The Posse Comitatus Act broadly prohibits the military from civilian law enforcement, while the Insurrection Act is a narrow exception allowing force in cases of insurrection or civil disorder. The Trump administration’s prior deployment of troops to Los Angeles was struck down by a federal judge for violating these limits.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order claiming to designate Antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization.” The order instructs federal agencies to “investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations conducted by Antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of Antifa,” including those providing “material support.” 

Antifa is not considered an organization by most experts, but rather a loose, decentralized movement without formal leadership or membership.