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Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) said Saturday that the city of Portland does not need National Guard soldiers to help President Trump order the protection of immigration and customs law enforcement (ICE) facilities earlier in the day.
“In a conversation with President Trump and (Homeland Security) Secretary Noem, it was clear to me that Portland and Oregon believed in the rule of law and that we can meet our own local public safety needs,” Kotek said in a news conference Saturday morning.
She added: “There is no uprising. There is no threat to national security and no military is needed in our major cities.”
Earlier in the day, the president suggested the city was besieged.
The President wrote in The Truth of the Truth Society: “As Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, directed War Minister Pete Hegseth to provide all necessary forces to protect all necessary forces to protect Portland under war, and to us in the attacks of Antifa and other family terrorists.”
“I will also empower all my strength if necessary,” Trump added.
His comments come after a violent attack on the Texas ice rink office earlier this week, one of the detainees was killed and two others were injured.
However, Kotek said Portland was not subject to security threats and urged Trump to redirect the military to areas needed.
“Military service members should be committed to real emergencies. Members of the Oregon National Guard, whose mission is to stand up and protect Oregonians, they do it every day, but they don’t need them in the city. They don’t need them here,” Kotek reiterated in a press conference on Saturday.
The Oregon governor also mentioned that she had contacted Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) and Gov. JB Pritzker (D-ill.) to assess how they responded to the White House push without prior notice, they would deploy soldiers within the state. A NPR-OPSOS published Saturday found that many Americans have recently opposed Trump’s National Guard deployment to some cities.
“The government refused to elaborate on what they mean when they said they would do their best to deploy their power to our cities and citizens,” Kotke told the public.
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-ore.) also said she was not sure why Trump sent the army to Portland.
“I was on the ice rink a few days ago,” Bonamic said in a press conference with Kotek.
“I strongly oppose this action by the President and thank the governor and mayor for their words.”
By the end of August, Portland police had recorded 1,982 aggravated attacks, 2,595 burglaries and 25 homicides, according to city data. During the same period in 2024, the city recorded 2,060 aggravated attacks, 2,924 thefts and 50 homicides.
The Trump administration deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles, Tennessee and Los Angeles, Tennessee earlier this year. Soldiers were sent to Democratic-led cities, which sometimes led to protests.