PORTLAND, Ore. – In a resounding legal victory for the Trump administration, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Monday to lift a temporary restraining order blocking the deployment of up to 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland, effectively greenlighting federal forces to safeguard federal property amid escalating Antifa-linked unrest. The 2-1 decision, handed down at 3:37 p.m. PDT, overturns U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut’s October 4 order, which had deemed the mobilization “bad faith” overreach based on exaggerated claims of citywide chaos.
The ruling paves the way for the troops, federalized on September 27 under Title 10 authority, to bolster security at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, where protests have forced a three-week closure and involved tactics like makeshift guillotines and arson attempts. Judges Ryan Nelson and Bridget Bade, in the majority opinion, affirmed Trump’s “colorable” invocation of the law to counter “rebellion or danger thereof,” citing persistent threats to federal personnel despite local police’s “unwillingness or inability” to fully respond. “The President’s assessment reflects a range of honest judgment,” they wrote, distinguishing it from a similar Chicago block upheld by the Seventh Circuit.
President Trump hailed the outcome aboard Air Force One as a “massive win for law and order,” vowing the Guard would “crush the Antifa siege” terrorizing Portland. The city, long a flashpoint for left-wing activism, saw hundreds clash with federal agents last weekend, with tear gas deployed after protesters hurled projectiles and blocked access roads. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek decried the decision as “federal bullying,” urging the full Ninth Circuit to review it swiftly, while Mayor Ted Wheeler warned of “escalated tensions” without transparency.
This triumph arrives amid Trump’s broader push to federalize Guard units in Democratic-led cities, from Chicago to New York, tying into his campaign against “domestic terrorists” and 515,000 deportations since January. Polls show 61% of independents approving the Portland move, bolstering forecasts of a “red tsunami” in 2026 midterms. Critics, including dissenting Judge Susan P. Graber, decried it as “absurd” erosion of state sovereignty and First Amendment rights. As troops mobilize from Camp Withycombe, Portland braces: Federal muscle or militarized overkill? For Trump, it’s A+ execution—resolve reinforced, resolve unbroken.
