A federal judge in Oregon has temporarily blocked Donald Trump's administration from sending some 200 federalised California National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, a setback for the US president as he seeks to dispatch the military to cities over the objections of their Democratic leaders.

The ruling by US District Judge Karin Immergut followed a joint lawsuit by California and Oregon seeking to block the extraordinary move that drew vehement criticism from both states' governors. A day earlier, Immergut temporarily blocked Trump from deploying 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland, citing a lack of evidence that recent protests necessitated the move.

"How could bringing in federalised National Guard from California not be in direct contravention of the [decision] I issued yesterday?" Immergut, a Trump-appointed judge, asked an administration lawyer during a hearing on Sunday night.

The ruling came after the Pentagon said in a statement that about 200 federalised members of the California National Guard who had been on duty around Los Angeles were being reassigned to Portland. Oregon governor Tina Kotek said on Sunday about 100 arrived on Saturday and around 100 more were en route Sunday.

California governor Gavin Newsom's office said about 300 previously federalised California guard members could eventually be deployed. The events in Oregon come a day after Illinois' governor made a similar announcement about troops in his state being activated.

Kotek said the latest move by federal officials was an attempt to circumvent Saturday's court ruling that blocked deployment of Oregon's guard members.

"The facts on the ground in Oregon haven't changed," Kotek said on Sunday. "There's no need for military intervention in Oregon. There's no insurrection in Portland, there's no threat to national security."

Oregon attorney general Dan Rayfield said his state, along with the city of Portland and California, had sought the amended temporary restraining order against the deployment of any National Guard troops.

"What was unlawful yesterday is unlawful today," Rayfield said of Immergut's original ruling. "The judge's order was not some minor procedural point for the president to work around, like my 14-year-old does when he doesn't like my answers."

Rayfield added that Oregon "will absolutely not be a party to the president's attempt to normalise the use of the United States military in our American cities."

Newsom, a Democrat, said California personnel were on their way on Sunday and called the deployment "a breathtaking abuse of the law and power".

He said these troops were "federalised" and put under the president's control months ago over his objections, in response to protests in Los Angeles.

"The commander-in-chief is using the US military as a political weapon against American citizens," Newsom said.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland has recently been the site of nightly protests. A Trump-appointed federal judge in Oregon on Saturday temporarily blocked the Trump administration's plan to deploy the Oregon National Guard in Portland to protect federal property amid protests after Trump called the city "war-ravaged".

Oregon officials and Portland residents alike said that description was ludicrous. The protest was relatively small and localised to just one block of the city of 650,000 residents, Kotek said. (Reuters/AP)
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Last updated: 2025-10-06 HKT 11:45