Oregon judge blocks federalizing National Guard for Portland

A federal judge in Oregon on Saturday temporarily barred the Trump administration from federalizing Oregon National Guard troops and deploying them to Portland to protect federal property, issuing a restraining order in a lawsuit filed by the state and the city of Portland. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut ruled that the administration had not met the legal threshold to place the Guard under federal control and that the president’s assertions about widespread violent unrest in the city were not supported by the record before the court.

The Defense Department had announced plans to place about 200 Oregon Guardsmen under federal authority for 60 days to secure locations where protests were occurring or were likely to occur, notably the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in South Portland. That site has been the focus of nightly demonstrations over the summer, which court filings and local officials describe as typically numbering in the dozens and sometimes involving attempts to block vehicle access. Portland police reported roughly 27 arrests connected to the demonstrations since early June, and federal officers have arrested at least two dozen people at...