On Saturday, Washington state officials expressed their support for Portland following President Donald Trump’s announcement that he might deploy federal troops to the city. In a social media post, Trump stated he had instructed the Department of Defense to “provide all necessary troops to protect War-ravaged Portland,” adding that he was “also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”
Earlier this summer, the Seattle Medium reported that Trump had contemplated sending “tactical” ICE units to Seattle amid heightened tensions between the immigration agency and protesters, with Los Angeles being the epicenter of those clashes. However, that threat ultimately did not materialize.
As of Saturday afternoon, neither the White House nor the Pentagon provided further details on the situation. A spokesperson for the Oregon National Guard informed the Associated Press that no formal requests had been made regarding troop deployment. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson acknowledged the presence of additional federal officers at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on the South Waterfront and noted reports of armored vehicles in the area.
Governor Bob Ferguson’s office stated that it had not received any similar threats from Trump. “The governor is deeply concerned about developments in Portland and is monitoring the situation closely,” a spokesperson for Ferguson told local news outlets. “While we have not received any information indicating mobilization in Washington, the governor and his team have been preparing for such a possibility for some time.” Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell shared these concerns and condemned Trump’s remarks.
Previously, Trump had threatened to send the National Guard to Chicago but has yet to act on that promise. A deployment in Memphis, Tennessee, is anticipated soon, involving only about 150 troops—significantly fewer than those sent to the District of Columbia for Trump’s crime crackdown or to Los Angeles in response to violent immigration protests. In 2020, Trump also threatened to send the National Guard to Seattle during protests in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone.
