California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that President Donald Trump plans to deploy 300 National Guard members from California to Oregon. This decision follows a temporary court ruling that blocked the Trump administration from sending Oregon’s National Guard to Portland. Newsom criticized the deployment, labeling it as an “abuse of the law and power,” and indicated his intention to challenge the action legally.
According to Newsom, these troops had been federalized and placed under presidential control months prior, during a period of unrest in Los Angeles. He expressed concern over the use of the military for political purposes and urged public opposition to this conduct, which he described as a risk to citizens’ rights.
There was no formal announcement from the White House regarding the Oregon deployment, similar to the lack of communication when an Illinois governor reported troop activation in that state. A Trump-appointed federal judge in Oregon had recently blocked the proposed deployment to protect federal property, asserting that the protests in Portland did not warrant such military intervention and warning against potential violations of state sovereignty.
This latest deployment reflects a broader trend of increasing federal intervention in cities governed by Democrats, as characterized by Trump. Since the commencement of his second term, Trump has suggested military deployments to several cities including Baltimore, Memphis, and New Orleans. Notably, he previously dispatched guard soldiers to Los Angeles, which Newsom later contended was unlawful under a temporary court decision.
In addition to the Oregon situation, Trump recently authorized the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard troops to assist in Chicago, citing ongoing unrest and insufficient local response. Trump has described cities like Portland and Chicago as facing significant crime and unrest; however, data indicates that crime rates in many major U.S. cities have declined, with New Orleans experiencing its lowest homicide rates in decades.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/5/gov-newsom-says-trump-is-sending-california-national-guard-troops-to-oregon?traffic_source=rss