SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — President Donald Trump is dispatching 300 members of the California National Guard to Oregon following a judge’s decision to prevent the administration from deploying Oregon’s guard to Portland, California Governor Gavin Newsom stated.
Newsom pledged Sunday to fight the move in court.
No official announcement came from Washington regarding the activation and deployment of the California National Guard to Oregon. Similarly, Illinois’ governor also announced the activation of troops in his state without prior notice from the federal government.
Newsom, a Democrat, issued a statement on Sunday indicating that California personnel were en route and criticized the deployment as “a breathtaking abuse of the law and power.”
On Saturday, a federal judge in Oregon, appointed by Trump, temporarily stopped the administration’s plan to dispatch the Oregon National Guard to Portland to safeguard federal property amid continuing protests. Trump had previously referred to the city as “war-ravaged,” a description that both Oregon officials and Portland residents found absurd.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland has recently been the site of nightly protests.
