The State of California's Governor Gavin Newsom Launches Lawsuit Against President Trump Regarding State Guard Deployment to Portland
The governor of California, Gavin Newsom announced this past Sunday that he is suing President Trump regarding the claimed sending of three hundred Californian national guard members to Oregon.
“Those forces are heading there as we speak,” Newsom said during a press announcement. “This administration is blatantly attacking the judicial framework itself and enacting their risky rhetoric – defying legal directives and viewing court officials, even those appointed by the President himself, as adversaries.”
Legal Context and Federal Ruling
The governor's legal action comes after a federal judge’s ruling that blocked the White House from dispatching the Oregon's guard to the city of Portland. The federal judge supported arguments that it would inflame rather than ease unrest in the city.
The judge said in her order, which puts off sending the forces until at least 18 October, that there was a absence of factual support that the current demonstrations in the city merited the decision.
Local Officials React
The senior deputy attorney, Portland’s senior deputy attorney, noted that there had been no violence against immigration officials for several months and that current rallies were calm in the week before the national leader labeled the city to be a conflict area, at times featuring less than twelve demonstrators.
“This isn’t about public safety, the core issue is control,” Newsom declared. “This battle will be fought in the courts, but the people cannot stay silent in the wake of such reckless and dictatorial actions by the U.S. President.”
State Attorney General Weighs In
Through an announcement online, Oregon attorney general Dan Rayfield stated that the government is evaluating choices and preparing to take legal action.
“Donald Trump is obviously hellbent on deploying the armed forces in American cities, lacking evidence or authority to do so,” he noted. “Our responsibility and the judicial system to demand answers. This is our plan.”
National and Local Reaction
State guard officials directed inquiries to the defense department. A agency spokesman offered no response. There was no immediate comment from the executive branch.
Broader Background
The report from the state came just a short time after Trump ordered the dispatch of state guard forces to Chicago, the most recent in a succession of similar actions across numerous US states.
The President had initially revealed the plan on the 27th of September, claiming he was allowing complete use, should it be required” in spite of pleas from state authorities and the representatives from the state, who said there had been a one, uneventful demonstration outside one federal immigration enforcement office.
Past Context
Historically, Trump has amplified the narrative that the city is a conflict-torn city with activists engaging in chaos and illegal activities.
During his first term in the year 2020, he deployed government agents to the city in the midst of the rallies over the death by law enforcement of George Floyd in another city. The protests spread across the United States but were particularly intense in Portland. Even with rallies against Ice being modest in size in the region this year, Trump has used them as a justification to deploy forces.
Speaking via social media about the latest move from the President, Newsom said: “This is shocking. It’s un-American, and we must prevent it.”