Ninth Circuit upholds Trump's National Guard deployment to Portland

President Donald Trump just scored a major win in the fight to restore order in Portland, Oregon, as a federal appeals court greenlit his plan to deploy National Guard troops amidst ongoing chaos.

On Monday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Trump can send 200 Oregon National Guard troops to protect law enforcement from rioters in Portland while a legal challenge plays out.

This decision didn’t come out of nowhere; it overturns an earlier block from October 4 that had halted the deployment, giving the president a clear path to act.

Court backs Trump’s legal authority

The court’s reasoning? They found it “likely” that Trump acted within his legal rights by federalizing these troops to enforce federal law when regular forces couldn’t get the job done.

Oregon’s Democratic Attorney General Dan Rayfield and Portland city officials pushed back hard, claiming Trump overplayed the severity of protests near the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building.

But let’s be real—when you’ve got violent clashes, attacks on officers, and the FBI reporting 195 arrests and citations near the ICE facility since June, it’s hard to argue this is just a peaceful picnic.

Violence and threats escalate in Portland

The appeals judges didn’t mince words about the mess in Portland, pointing to specific acts of hostility like the public posting of federal agents’ personal details—names, photos, even home addresses—alongside threatening messages.

As the judges put it, “Several ICE officers at the Portland [Enforcement Removal Operations] office have had their names, photographs, and home addresses posted publicly in several municipal locations and residential neighborhoods, along with threatening messages.”

If that’s not a call for backup, what is? This kind of “doxing” isn’t just a prank; it’s a direct threat to the safety of those tasked with upholding the law.

Federal forces stretched thin

The court also highlighted how unsustainable it’s become to keep Federal Protective Services officers on the ground in Portland without support, especially when state and local law enforcement seem unwilling—or unable—to step up.

In their words, “The continued deployment of [Federal Protective Services] officers to Portland is unsustainable … and state and local law enforcement have been unable or unwilling to assist the government’s efforts to protect federal personnel and property at the ICE facility.”

Translation: Portland’s leadership has dropped the ball, and now it’s on Trump to clean up the mess—hardly a surprise to those of us who’ve watched progressive policies prioritize optics over order.

Rayfield’s reaction falls flat

Attorney General Rayfield wasn’t thrilled, taking to social media to lament, “A panel of Ninth Circuit judges has chosen to not hold the president accountable,” adding, “[W]e are on a dangerous path in America” (X post).

Dangerous path? Perhaps, but not because of Trump—more like the path where law enforcement is left defenseless while rioters run amok, and local leaders shrug as federal property and personnel are targeted.

Rayfield’s office didn’t even bother responding to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation, which speaks volumes about their willingness to engage on the merits of this ruling.