Trump authorizes Chicago deployment as judge blocks Portland operation

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
Today 08:57

US President Trump sends 300 National Guard troops to Chicago after a federal shooting, while a judge blocks his Portland deployment.

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United States federal law enforcement arrive near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois, October 3, 2025. (AP)

United States President Donald Trump has authorized the deployment of 300 National Guard troops to Chicago following a federal shooting incident on Saturday, even as a federal judge blocked his administration’s attempt to deploy troops in Portland, Oregon, marking another standoff between the White House and Democratic-led states.

The dual developments highlight Trump’s expanding domestic militarization drive under the banner of restoring “law and order,” as opponents accuse him of undermining civil authority and state sovereignty.

Federal action in Chicago

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Trump approved the deployment of 300 National Guard troops “to protect federal officers and assets” in Chicago, invoking the president’s authority to federalize troops amid what the administration has called “urban chaos.”

“President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities,” Jackson said in a statement.

The order came hours after Border Patrol and Homeland Security agents reportedly opened fire on a motorist on Chicago’s Southwest Side. According to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, federal vehicles were “boxed in by 10 cars,” prompting agents to exit their vehicles and return fire at an “armed US citizen.”

“Law enforcement was forced to deploy their weapons and fire defensive shots,” McLaughlin claimed.

The Chicago Fire Department later confirmed that the woman was in fair condition and transferred to a local hospital. Federal officials said she had “driven herself to seek medical care,” though the details of the incident remain disputed.

Chicago police told local media that they responded to the scene but were “not involved in the incident or its investigation,” which is being handled by federal authorities.

Shooting reignites demonstrations

The shooting reignited demonstrations in the city, where protesters chanted “ICE go home!” before being dispersed by federal agents using tear gas and pepper balls. The clashes are the latest in a series of confrontations under Trump’s ongoing “Operation Midway Blitz”, launched in Chicago last month to target what the administration calls organized criminal networks.

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin denounced the troop deployment, calling it “a shameful chapter in our nation’s history,” and accused Trump of “spreading fear, not fighting crime.”

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has also criticized the move as an overreach of federal authority, pledging to challenge the deployment through state channels.

Judge blocks Portland deployment

Meanwhile, in Portland, US District Judge Karin Immergut issued a temporary restraining order on Saturday, halting Trump’s bid to federalize and deploy 200 Oregon National Guard troops.

In her ruling, Immergut said the president’s justification for the deployment was “untethered to the facts,” finding no evidence that unrest in the city amounted to a “rebellion” or posed a threat that warranted federal intervention.

“Regular law enforcement forces are sufficient to handle such incidents,” she wrote, rejecting arguments that the deployment was necessary to protect federal property.

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden welcomed the ruling, saying it confirmed that “Oregonians don’t need or want Donald Trump to provoke violence by deploying federal troops in our state.”

The White House sharply criticized the decision. Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller described the ruling as a “legal insurrection,” accusing Oregon officials of “organizing a terrorist attack on the federal government.”

Broader pattern of militarized policy

The twin cases in Chicago and Portland underscore an escalating constitutional struggle over the limits of federal power in domestic law enforcement.

Trump has already dispatched or attempted to send troops to other Democratic-led cities, including Los Angeles, Washington, and Memphis, as part of his broader anti-crime and migration crackdown. Courts in several states have begun reviewing the legality of such deployments amid accusations that they violate the Posse Comitatus Act and the Tenth Amendment, which reserves US public safety powers to the states.

Civil rights groups and state officials warn that the administration’s tactics could inflame unrest rather than contain it, while Trump’s aides insist the moves are necessary to “restore national security inside America’s borders.”