President Donald Trump has won the latest fight brought against his anti-crime and pro-national security agenda, with a court ruling that he is allowed to dispatch National Guard troops to Portland, Ore., to oppose rampant crime.
It was a three-judge panel at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that lifted a lower court’s order that blocked Trump from exercising his authority.
“After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority under 10 U.S.C. § 12406(3), which authorizes the federalization of the National Guard when ‘the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States,’” the judges wrote.
They cited multiple violent attacks on federal operations in Portland, including at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, arsons, assaults on federal officers and more.
Before the ruling was released Monday, rioters over the weekend staged their latest assault on the government, with several people arrested, for assault, harassment, and more.
Further, the ruling pointed out that there’s been a “lack” of support for federal authorities from Portland’s police, and that the Federal Protective Service has had to “rely almost exclusively on ICE and SRT for assistance in preventing violent protesters from attacking officers and the facility in which they work.”
A politically active lower court judge had blocked Trump from deploying both in Oregon and other states.
Trump, earlier, had said, “At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists. I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”