President Donald Trump said he was ordering the military into Portland and authorized “full force” in the latest use of troops inside the United States.
In a post on social media, Trump ordered the Department of Defense to mobilize troops to Portland to fight “domestic terrorists” and protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement buildings.
“At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”
It’s not clear how many troops would be involved in this, where they would come from or under what legal authority would they be deployed. Task & Purpose reached out to the Pentagon about this.
“We stand ready to mobilize U.S. military personnel in support of DHS operations in Portland at the President’s direction,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement. “The Department will provide information and updates as they become available.”
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Portland is the fourth city that the military is being sent to as a security force. Trump ordered thousands of National Guardsmen and hundreds of Marines into Los Angeles in June in response to protests against immigration raids, tasking them with protecting federal agents and buildings. More than 2,000 National Guardsmen were mobilized over claims of rampant crime in Washington, D.C. with multiple states and the District of Columbia providing soldiers for the ongoing operation. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee earlier this month requested the president send the National Guard to Memphis; on Friday he announced they will arrive this coming week.
Trump had previously criticized Portland, which also saw large protests during his first term in office, saying that now “it’s like living in hell.” Trump has accused multiple cities of being overrun by crime and threatened to send in the National Guard and other parts of the military, although he has only done so in a few cases. However hundreds of federal law enforcement groups have been sent to cities such as Chicago.
Trump signed multiple executive orders this week going after what he deemed as domestic terrorist organizations. In one, he designated antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. Antifa is a shorthand term for anti-fascism and there is no large formal group by that name. Trump also ordered the National Joint Terrorism Task Force to investigate groups aiming to recruit people for political violence.
This is a developing story.
Update: 9/27/2025; This article has been updated with a statement from Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
