Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he has directed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to deploy “all necessary troops” to Portland, Oregon, and to any other Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities facing threats from Antifa or other domestic actors. In a post on his social media platform, Trump said he was authorizing “full force,” if necessary, to protect federal property and personnel.
Trump framed the move as a response to what he described as sustained attacks on federal immigration facilities amid months of protests over U.S. immigration policy. He said the deployment was made “at the request of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem,” and accused protesters of besieging ICE installations.
The announcement comes as part of a series of recent federal interventions in American cities. Over the past months, Trump has ordered National Guard or federal deployments to multiple municipalities, citing rising crime or threats to federal facilities. Earlier this year, he authorized deployments to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and more recently to Memphis, Tennessee. He has also threatened to send federal forces to other large cities, including Chicago, New York and Baltimore.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said early Saturday that she was dispatching Department of Justice agents to ICE facilities and “wherever ICE comes under siege” to safeguard federal officers, protect federal property and arrest individuals who commit federal crimes. In a post on X, Bondi said she was instructing Joint Terrorism Task Forces to “disrupt and investigate all entities and individuals engaged in acts of domestic terrorism,” and vowed to pursue the most serious charges available against participants in violent actions against federal agents.
Bondi’s statement cited what she termed “an onslaught of violence perpetrated against ICE officers across our country” and framed the deployments as part of a broader effort to uphold the rule of law. “While these never-ending attacks are designed to break our will, they only strengthen our resolve to complete the work begun,” she wrote.
Local and state officials reacted cautiously. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said she was seeking more information from the White House and stressed that, in her view, there was no national security threat in Portland; she urged residents to remain calm. Portland’s mayor has also expressed alarm in recent days over a sudden influx of federal agents into the city, which has seen repeated protests directed at ICE and federal immigration policies.
Legal and constitutional questions accompany the deployments. The use of active-duty military forces on U.S. soil raises sensitive issues about the Posse Comitatus Act and the proper balance between federal authority and state and local jurisdiction. Officials have not yet clarified the exact chain of command, rules of engagement, or the anticipated duration and scope of the forces being sent.
The announcements were made amid a politically charged national debate over public order, immigration enforcement and the role of federal power in cities governed by Democrats. Critics warn that sending troops or federal agents to American cities risks escalating tensions and undermining civil liberties; supporters argue the measures are necessary to protect federal employees and property.
Separately, the president signed an executive order earlier this week designating Antifa a loosely affiliated anti-fascist movement rather than a single organized group as a “terrorist organization.” Legal scholars and civil liberties groups have questioned whether such a designation can be applied domestically under existing U.S. law.
As federal agents and troops are mobilized, both federal and local officials face pressure to clarify objectives, authorities and safeguards to prevent unnecessary confrontation while ensuring the safety of federal personnel and facilities.
