US judge extends block on National Guard deployment to Portland through Nov. 7

By Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) – A US federal judge extended a temporary block on the deployment of National Guard troops into Portland, Oregon through at least Friday, in a ruling that challenges the scope of presidential power over military use in domestic protests, media reports said Sunday.

US District Judge Karin Immergut issued the preliminary injunction following a three-day trial, ruling that the Trump administration’s attempted troop deployment was not legally justified under federal law, according to ABC News.

“Protests grew out of control or involved more than isolated and sporadic instances of violent conduct that resulted in no serious injuries to federal personnel,” Immergut wrote, adding that the federalization order was based on “no credible evidence.”

She concluded that President Donald Trump’s actions likely violated a federal law that permits the use of the National Guard only in cases of rebellion or invasion, and infringed on Oregon’s state sovereignty.

Immergut noted the Portland protests had resulted only in “sporadic isolated instances of violent behavior toward federal officers and property damage to a single building,” which she said did not meet the threshold for rebellion.

“Defendants have not proffered any evidence demonstrating that those episodes of violence were perpetrated by an organized group engaged in armed hostilities,” she added.

The legal battle began when the Trump administration attempted to override the previous block by sending troops from Texas and California, after Oregon’s National Guard was barred.

Immergut blocked those deployments as well.

The Ninth Circuit Court initially lifted the restriction but later agreed to rehear the case en banc, reinstating the ban.

The injunction will remain in effect until Nov. 7, when Immergut is expected to issue a final ruling based on trial evidence.

Democrats claim the deployments to largely Democratic areas have nothing to do with providing security but instead are meant to normalize sending the US military to American cities, laying the groundwork for possible intervention during future elections.