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Most of the federalized National Guard troops in the greater Portland area will demobilize, officials said Monday. But, against the wishes of the Oregon governor, the Trump administration is keeping a subset of Oregon National Guard members in place for now.
For weeks, several hundred Oregon and California National Guard members have been posted under federal command on bases outside Portland as they awaited the outcome of a lawsuit filed by local officials who sought to block the troops’ deployment to the city.
Oregon and other plaintiffs prevailed on Nov. 7, when a judge rejected the Trump administration’s legal case for the deployment. Yet in the ensuing days, the troops remained in place as the Trump administration moved to appeal the lower court’s order.
That litigation is now in motion in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
But for now, many of the troops who had been mobilized to “protect” the city are going home without, for the most part, having deployed to it at all, according to the court record. By Monday, a defense official said that all 200 of the California National Guard members posted outside Portland were being demobilized and would head home. Meanwhile, the official said, 100 of the federalized Oregon National Guard troops would also be demobilized and sent home.
But this leaves about 100 remaining Oregon National Guard members under federal command in the Portland area, at least for now. And for Gov. Tina Kotek, that is 100 too many.
“President Trump’s disregard for the rule of law has real human consequences,” Kotek said in a written statement Monday afternoon. “Members of the Oregon National Guard, who are our friends and neighbors, have been away from their families and jobs for 50 days on an unnecessary deployment. With the holidays approaching, every single member deserves to go home.”
