“The administration was exaggerating occasional violence…”
US President Donald Trump’s order deploying the National Guard to Portland has been ruled illegal by a federal judge, according to Sky News reporting.
The ruling marks the first permanent block on Mr Trump’s use of military force to quell protests against immigration authorities, replacing Judge Karin Immergut’s earlier interim order. The decision followed a lawsuit by the City of Portland and the Oregon Attorney General’s Office, which accused the administration of exaggerating “occasional violence” to justify military action.
Mr Trump had described Portland as a “war ravaged” city where “ICE facilities [were] under siege” by “crazy people” and Antifa protesters. The Justice Department argued that regular law enforcement was “unable… to execute the laws of the United States,” but Oregon officials countered that local and federal officers were sufficient, Sky News’ US partner NBC reported.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, “President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities and we expect to be vindicated by a higher court.”
The administration is expected to appeal, potentially taking the case to the Supreme Court.