Trump Orders Troop Deployment to Portland, Federal Facilities Amid Domestic Terrorism Concerns

President Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (styled in his posts as “Secretary of War”) to deploy “all necessary” troops to Portland to protect the city and Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, saying he was authorizing “full force, if necessary,” in a Truth Social post. He framed the move as a response to daily protests and alleged attacks by Antifa and other “domestic terrorists,” and said the deployment was made at the request of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The action is part of an expanded, controversial pattern of federal and National Guard deployments to U.S. cities tied to his broader law-and-order campaign. The Justice Department has moved to deploy agents to ICE sites and said Joint Terrorism Task Forces will investigate and seek serious charges against those who attack federal personnel. Media outlets report increased federal law-enforcement presence at ICE processing facilities and confrontations at some sites, including incidents involving pepper balls near an ICE facility reported by Reuters.