(Substack)—President Trump hit a roadblock late Sunday when U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued a temporary restraining order stopping the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland. The move aimed to bring stability to a city that’s seen its share of turmoil, with the latest flare-up involving law enforcement using tear gas on protesters outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building just a day earlier.
Immergut went full Marxist while pretending to use the Constitution as a shield, pointing to legal barriers that she believes the administration crossed.
“It appears to violate both 10 U.S.C. §12406 and the Tenth Amendment,” she stated during the hearing.
The judge grilled Justice Department attorney Eric Hamilton on the spot, questioning the logic behind pushing forward with troops from California despite her prior order. “How could bringing in federalized National Guard from California not be in direct contravention of the TRO that I issued yesterday?” she demanded. She followed up by pressing him on ethics: “You’re an officer of the court. Aren’t defendants circumventing my order?”
Hamilton pushed back, insisting no lines were crossed, but Immergut wasn’t buying it. She laid out her view plainly: “You have to have a colorable claim that Oregon conditions warrant deploying the National Guard — you don’t.”
Oregon’s own representative, Scott Kennedy, chimed in during the proceedings, calling the back-and-forth “a game of rhetorical Whac-A-Mole.” He even nodded to rumors swirling about potential deployments elsewhere, like Texas troops heading to Chicago, underscoring how these decisions ripple out to other Democrat-run cities facing similar crime challenges.
Immergut made it clear she wasn’t open to delays or second-guessing. When the DOJ asked for a stay, she shut it down, explaining, “I’m handling this on an emergency basis with limited briefing. No new information has been provided about any new issues in Portland.”
The order doesn’t just hit California’s 300 Guard members— it sweeps in troops from any state or D.C., putting a full stop on federalization or relocation into Oregon.
California Governor Gavin Newsom wasted no time celebrating on X, posting: “BREAKING: We just won in court — again. A federal judge BLOCKED Donald Trump’s unlawful attempt to DEPLOY 300 OF OUR NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO PORTLAND. The court granted our request for a Temporary Restraining Order — HALTING ANY FEDERALIZATION, RELOCATION, OR DEPLOYMENT of ANY GUARD MEMBERS TO OREGON FROM ANY STATE. Trump’s abuse of power won’t stand.”
The Justice Department isn’t backing down, signaling an appeal based on the President’s clear authority under federal law to address domestic unrest. This isn’t new territory for Portland, which has endured waves of protests since the George Floyd riots in 2020, often escalating into violence and property destruction tied to groups like Antifa. Recent reports from outlets like The Oregonian note that while crowds have thinned compared to peak years, flashpoints around federal buildings persist, with activists targeting ICE and other symbols of enforcement.
As the appeal looms, this ruling raises bigger questions about how the federal government can act when cities let unrest fester. President Trump’s push for Guard involvement echoes his law-and-order stance, aiming to protect communities and infrastructure from repeated disruptions. With the DOJ gearing up for the next round, expect more courtroom battles over where state sovereignty ends and national security begins.
