Current conditions unavailable
The precise date and time of President Donald Trump’s promised troop deployment to Portland remains unclear, as Oregon National Guard officials say it’ll take a few more days than anticipated to get all 200 soldiers trained and ready.
But the Trump administration continued to make the case for the deployment, with Trump likening the scene in Portland to World War II in a speech to military brass Tuesday. He said during the same speech that he had suggested to the secretary of defense that cities be used as “training grounds” for the U.S. military.
Echoing troops’ potential concerns about being deployed as a military force among their fellow Oregonians, the head of the Oregon National Guard urged soldiers to follow their oath in a letter he sent Monday.
“I know this isn’t easy,” Brigadier General Gronewold wrote. “But we’ve been through tough situations before. We are professionals who do our duties, regardless of how it’s received.”
Gov. Tina Kotek had tried to convince Trump to change his mind about sending troops to Portland via text. A string of text messages between Kotek and Trump’s staff show she told his staff he “broke his promise to speak with me before taking further action against Portland.”
In one of the most visible signs so far that something is afoot, helicopters have been circling the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland, drawing residents’ ire. The helicopters include at least one Black Hawk belonging to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a helicopter belonging to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, federal flight information suggests.
An Oregon official’s pushback against the Trump administration has gone somewhat viral.
“There will be no federal takeover of Portland, Oregon,” U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum said in a TV interview earlier this week.
A video of her statement on TikTok has already received more than 18,000 likes.
A hearing on the state’s motion for a temporary restraining order to stop the deployment is scheduled for Friday.
©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit oregonlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
