A federal judge has blocked US President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops to Oregon, hours after his administration announced plans to deploy hundreds personnel from California and Texas to the state. The ruling temporarily halts Trump’s latest attempt to send federalised forces to cities with protests and rising tensions around immigration enforcement. The dispute centres on protests near a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, where demonstrators have gathered in the block surrounding the building. Judge Karin Immergut ruled Sunday that the relatively small protests did not justify military intervention, warning that such action could infringe on state sovereignty. “This country has a longstanding and foundational tradition of resistance to government overreach, especially in the form of military intrusion into civil affairs,” Immergut said according to Associated Press (AP), adding that the nation “is a nation of constitutional law, not martial law.” Before the ruling, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said 101 California National Guard members had arrived by plane on Saturday night, with more on the way. Kotek argued there was “no need for military intervention in Oregon” and had previously refused Trump’s request to mobilise Oregon guard troops. Trump deploys troops to Chicago In contrast, Trump authorised the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard troops to protect federal officers and facilities in Chicago, citing what the White House described as “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness” that local leaders had not controlled. The deployment sparked criticism from Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, who called the administration’s demand “absolutely outrageous and un-American” and rejected the use of state troops against local communities. Incidents and arrests in Chicago Federal agents have been active in Chicago’s immigrant-heavy neighbourhoods. On Friday, 13 protesters were arrested near an ICE processing facility in Broadview, as per AP, and authorities acknowledged that a woman was shot Saturday morning on the city’s southwest side. According to the Department of Homeland Security, officers fired defensively after a suspect in a vehicle attempted to run them over. The woman, a US citizen armed with a semiautomatic weapon, drove herself to a hospital for treatment; her condition was reported as fair. Residents and immigrant advocates also raised concerns about the use of tear gas near grocery and hardware stores and the detention of a city council member questioning an attempted arrest. Federal law enforcement actions Trump has repeatedly sent or proposed sending troops to cities including Baltimore, Memphis, Washington, New Orleans, and several California cities. In Memphis, a federal task force conducted arrests and traffic stops in collaboration with state agencies, drawing concern from some residents about potential detentions regardless of immigration status. In New Orleans, Republican Gov Jeff Landry requested National Guard support for crime-fighting efforts despite recent declines in violent crime. Meanwhile, in California, a federal appellate court is reviewing Trump’s deployment of guard soldiers and active-duty Marines in Los Angeles during the summer after Gov Gavin Newsom successfully blocked the move. (With inputs from agencies)
