Judge grants Oregon restraining order against Trump’s National Guard plan
Image from outside the ICE facility in South Portland shortly before 9pm on Saturday, October 4, 2025 – Jennifer Singh for KATU News
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A federal judge has granted Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s request for a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration’s move to federalize the Oregon National Guard. The administration announced the deployment to secure the ICE facility in South Portland amid ongoing demonstrations, but the court’s order pauses that plan for now.
The ruling halts the activation for fourteen days while the judge considers whether to issue a longer-term injunction. Attorney General Rayfield said he plans to request extensions until the court reaches a final decision.
“The current temporary restraining order will last for fourteen days. We’ll return to court asking for an extension, ultimately moving toward a preliminary injunction that could last longer,” Rayfield explained.
Earlier this week, Rayfield argued that deploying the Guard would escalate tensions rather than calm them, and that Portland’s current situation does not meet the legal threshold for federalization.
The U.S. Department of Justice responded Thursday, contending that the move is justified due to ongoing threats and aggression toward federal personnel at the ICE facility. In its filing, the DOJ stated that activists had “resorted to vicious tactics to thwart and intimidate the public servants” working there.
A hearing was held Friday morning, allowing both sides to present their arguments. By Saturday afternoon, the judge ruled in favor of the state’s request for a temporary restraining order.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson praised the decision, saying, “As the judge noted in her decision, we provided substantial evidence that the protests at the Portland ICE facility were not significantly violent or disruptive in the days, or even weeks, leading up to the president’s directive.”
Following the ruling, the White House issued a statement to KATU News:
“President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court.”
Since mid-June, the Department of Justice reports that 28 individuals have been charged with federal offenses at the ICE facility, including assaulting officers, disobeying lawful orders, and damaging government property.
Attorney General Rayfield released a statement Friday evening, urging calm and unity:
“While we wait on a ruling, it’s important that we remember who we are as Oregonians. We don’t need to get swept up in fear or political drama—we know how to look out for one another. Portland has always been a place that’s a little different, a little quirky, and that spirit of resilience and creativity is what will carry us through.”
Similar legal challenges have been filed in other states. In June, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta obtained a temporary restraining order blocking the deployment of federal troops there under comparable circumstances.
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