Trump re-assigning California National Guard troops to Oregon after losing court ruling

The U.S. Military machine said on lord's day it is re-assigning virtually 200 federalized members of the ca subject Guard from the Los Angeles area to Portland, Ore., in a new tactic to fulfill plans announced by President Donald Trump.

The announcement followed a ruling by a federal judge late on Saturday that temporarily blocked Trump from deploying 200 Oregon National Guard troops to the city of Portland, citing a lack of evidence that recent protests necessitated the move.

"At the direction of the President, approximately 200 federalized members of the California National Guard are being reassigned from duty in the greater Los Angeles area to Portland to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal personnel performing official duties, including the enforcement of federal law, and to protect federal property," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.

More to come

This is a breaking update. A previous version of this story can be read below.

U.S. President Donald Trump is sending 300 California National Guard members to Oregon after a judge temporarily blocked his administration from deploying that state's guard to Portland, California's governor said Sunday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged Sunday to fight the move in court.

There was no official announcement from Washington that the California National Guard was being called up and sent to Oregon, just as was the case when Illinois' governor made a similar announcement Saturday about troops in his state being activated.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said that 101 California National Guard members arrived in her state Saturday night by plane and more are on the way. Kotek said there has been no formal communication with the federal government about the deployment.

Kotek said there has been no formal communication with the federal government about the deployment, which she suggested appeared to intentionally circumvent Saturday's court ruling. "There is no need for military intervention in Oregon. There is no insurrection in Portland. No threat to national security. Oregon is our home, not a military target."

Trump says Portland is ‘war ravaged.’ Here’s what locals see

A spokesperson for Kotek said Sunday he could not verify the current location of the National Guard members who arrived in Oregon on Saturday, directing questions to the Defence Department.

The California National Guard also referred questions to the Defence Department. A department spokesperson declined to comment. There was no immediate comment from the White House.

Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement that California personnel were on their way Sunday and called the deployment "a breathtaking abuse of the law and power." He said these troops were "federalized" and put under the president's control months ago over his objections, in response to unrest in Los Angeles.

"The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. Military as a political weapon against American citizens," Newsom said in the statement. "We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the president of the United States."

A Trump-appointed federal judge in Oregon on Saturday temporarily blocked the Trump administration's plan to deploy the Oregon National Guard in Portland to protect federal property amid protests after Trump called the city "war-ravaged." Oregon officials and Portland residents alike said that description was ludicrous.

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, issued the order pending further arguments in the suit. She said the relatively small protests the city has seen did not justify the use of federalized forces and allowing the deployment could harm Oregon's state sovereignty.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said Sunday that the city continues to seek legal means to halt any National Guard deployment.

Why does Trump keep calling Portland a war zone?

"This action circumvents the court's decision and threatens to inflame a community that has remained peaceful," Wilson said. "Our legal team is coordinating with our partners and will immediately pursue all lawful steps to enforce the judge's order and protect Portlanders' rights."

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland has recently been the site of nightly protests.

Trump has characterized both Portland and Chicago as cities rife with crime and unrest, calling the former a "war zone" and suggesting apocalyptic force was needed to quell problems in the latter. Since the start of his second term, he has sent or talked about sending troops to 10 cities.

Trump authorized the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago on Saturday.

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