A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration’s National Guard deployment to Portland, Oregon, was unconstitutional, violating the 10th Amendment by overstepping federal authority. The decision, made after a three-day trial, permanently blocks the deployment and confirms the legality of the city’s and state’s objections to the move.
The ruling was delivered by U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, who temporarily extended an order blocking the administration from deploying troops to The Rose City. In her Sunday evening order, Immergut stated that the government had failed to justify the move, which she said exceeded the President’s authority. The injunction remained in effect until Friday, when it was made permanent.
On Friday, Judge Immergut issued a 106-page ruling that confirmed her previous order. The decision followed a three-day trial over whether the protests at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland warranted the use of the military domestically under federal law. The administration claimed that the troops were needed to protect federal personnel and property.
Immergut acknowledged the administration’s argument but concluded that the President did not have a lawful basis to federalize the National Guard. The judge emphasized that the 10th Amendment reserves to the states any powers not explicitly delegated to the federal government. She also noted that the evidence demonstrated that the deployments, which were objected to by Oregon’s governor and not requested by the federal officials responsible for protecting the ICE building, exceeded the President’s authority.
The city of Portland and the state of Oregon had sued the administration over the deployment in September following Hegseth’s decision to send 200 troops to the city. The administration can now appeal the decision, but the injunction remains in effect. It also faces a temporary injunction in Chicago, where a judge has barred the administration from deploying troops.