Oregon Democrats sounded off online Monday after a federal appeals court sided with President Donald Trump in his efforts to deploy National Guard troops to Portland.
The state leaders doubled down on their message that additional federal troops are unnecessary to quell protests at the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility in South Portland, the site of regular protests since June.
“Troops are not wanted or needed in Portland,” Sen. Jeff Merkley wrote on Threads. “The fight continues to protect our community.”
Monday’s ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked an earlier restraining order barring Trump from deploying Oregon National Guard troops to Portland. But that doesn’t mean troops will be on the ground immediately. Another restraining order remains in place and lawyers for the state and city of Portland have asked a wider pool of judges on the court to reconsider Monday’s decision.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, who has been fighting the National Guard deployment in court, urged people on Monday to remain peaceful and keep their faith in the American judicial system as lawyers for the city and state continue to fight the Trump administration in court.
“Today’s ruling, if allowed to stand, would give the president unilateral power to put Oregon soldiers on our streets with almost no justification,” Rayfield said in a statement. “We are on a dangerous path in America.”
At the same time, Rayfield reminded Oregonians that the state’s National Guard members are “our neighbors, family members and friends. Their safety is important.”
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson also referred to National Guard members as “our neighbors” and said “they deserve better than this unnecessary, unwanted deployment.”
“Portland stands for democracy, dignity, and the right to peacefully protest,” Wilson said. “We will not stand by while federal agencies sidestep local authority. … I call on federal decision-makers to stop these deployments, honor local governance, and partner with us on real public-safety solutions that respect civil rights and protect our community.”
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden described the appeals court ruling as a “short-term disappointment” and pledged to keep working with local and state officials in Oregon to block what he characterized as Trump’s wasteful use of public funds to send troops to American cities.
“Our ongoing response must be to keep holding Donald Trump and his lackeys in the White House accountable for his authoritarian abuse of power in Oregon,” Wyden said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, a Democrat from Tigard, pointed to the inflatable costumes increasingly worn by protesters outside the Portland ICE facility as evidence the protests are largely peaceful, and military presence is unwarranted.
“I am deeply disappointed in the 9th Circuit’s ruling,” Salinas said in a statement. “Inflatable frogs and unicorns can’t pass the laugh test, much less the threshold for evidence of a rebellion that would necessitate the National Guard.
“If allowed to stand, this ruling clears the way for the President to deploy the National Guard for any reason, no matter how comical – or dangerous – it may be,” Salinas said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter, a Democrat from Portland, said the city should “not bend the knee” to Trump’s “authoritarian takeover.” At the same time, Dexter accused Trump of wanting to “incite violence and chaos” and cautioned Oregonians against taking the bait.
“We will remain united,” Dexter said. “We will meet this moment the way we’ve met every challenge—with care, courage, and an unwavering commitment to protecting our neighbors.”
Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read posted a video on Facebook praising Portland as a beautiful, peaceful city.
“As we’re watching court battles over whether a president can send our own military into peaceful American cities, I know a lot of people are angry and frustrated and wondering what they can do,” Read said. “My ask to all of you is to remember that the most powerful thing we can do in this moment is to vote.”
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