The Pentagon confirmed 200 members of the California National Guard were reassigned to Portland to “support US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal personnel performing official duties”. <\/p>\n
“President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. <\/p>\n
She attacked Newsom, saying he should “stand on the side of law-abiding citizens instead of violent criminals destroying Portland and cities across the country.”<\/p>\n
Over the summer, there were large protests daily in Los Angeles after the city became a target of increased immigration raids. Trump deployed the state’s National Guard to quell the unrest in June, a significant move as deployments are typically the responsibility of a state’s governor. Newsom argued that using the military in Los Angeles was unnecessary and inflamed tensions. Trump said it saved the city from burning to the ground.<\/p>\n
The Trump administration redeployed those same troops who were still in Los Angeles to Portland. <\/p>\n
“This isn’t about public safety, it’s about power. The commander-in-chief is using the US military as a political weapon against American citizens,” Newsom said after Trump sent the troops to Portland, accusing the president of ignoring courts. <\/p>\n
“We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the President of the United States.”<\/p>\n
Protests have been ongoing in Portland and other cities over the Trump administration’s increased immigration enforcement. Portland, in particular, has long drawn Trump’s ire over its alleged concentration of people his supporters describe as Antifa, short for “anti-fascist”. The president recently signed an executive order designating the group, which is a loosely organised movement of far-left activists, as a domestic terrorist organisation.<\/p>\n