US President Donald Trump illegally ordered the National Guard to Portland, a federal judge has ruled.
The ruling, a legal setback for the administration, is the first to permanently block Mr Trump’s use of military force to suppress protests against immigration authorities.
Mr Trump is seeking to do the same in Democrat-led Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington DC.
The ruling replaces Judge Karin Immergut’s interim order that prevented the Portland deployment.
Mr Trump ordered the National Guard to Portland in response to what he said was a “war ravaged” city, with “ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa” and “crazy people” who “try to burn down buildings, including federal buildings” every night.
The justice department claims federal law enforcement in Portland needs the National Guard’s help because they’re “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States”.
But officials in Oregon say that while there have been incidents of violence at and near Portland’s ICE facility, they’ve been small in scale and can continue to be handled local and federal law enforcement, Sky News’ US partner NBC reports.
The Trump administration is likely to appeal, meaning it could reach the Supreme Court, after the judge ruled the protests were not an act of rebellion against the government.
‘Trump will not turn a blind eye’
White House spokeswoman, Abigail Jackson, said in a statement on Friday: “President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities and we expect to be vindicated by a higher court.”
The Oregon Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
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Mr Trump’s order to deploy troops on US soil was a sudden break with long-standing, but rarely tested norms.
He ordered the National Guard into Portland in late September.
The City of Portland and Oregon Attorney General’s Office sued in the days afterwards after alleging the administration was exaggerating occasional violence to justify deploying troops.
Democrats claimed the move abused military powers meant for genuine emergencies.
So far, the troops remain on standby but have yet to take up positions in the city.
