In a Truth Social post, Trump said he had instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to provide all necessary forces to protect Portland and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, which he claimed were under attack from Antifa and “other domestic terrorists.”

The move signals a further escalation of the Trump administration’s deployments in American cities as part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration and civil unrest.
Local Democratic officials have strongly opposed Trump’s approach. Portland’s mayor, Keith Wilson, reiterated earlier this month that he had neither requested nor welcomed federal intervention. “I have not asked for—and do not need—federal intervention,” he said.

ICE facilities in Portland have frequently been the focus of protests, some of which have turned violent. Federal agents have previously reported injuries during clashes with demonstrators. Trump did not specify in his post whether the deployment would involve the National Guard or regular U.S. military troops.

Hints of such an operation emerged earlier in the week, when Trump told reporters at the White House that federal forces were preparing to take significant action in Portland. “We’re going to get out there and we’re going to do a pretty big number on those people,” he said, describing demonstrators as “professional agitators and anarchists.”

Trump has repeatedly criticized conditions in Portland, saying earlier this month that the city was “like living in hell.” He also recently signed an order officially designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
Democratic lawmakers from Oregon condemned both Trump’s rhetoric and reported ICE tactics in the state. Representative Suzanne Bonamici said Friday that ICE’s stated mission of targeting individuals with criminal records did not align with what residents were witnessing.

The Department of War has not yet issued details about the scale or nature of the planned deployment.