Trump Deploys Troops to Portland, Demands Full Force to Protect ICE Amid Ongoing Protests

President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of “all necessary” military forces to Portland to safeguard Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities and personnel as protests intensify in the city. He declared that the federal government would use full force if needed to maintain security amid mounting unrest.

In a post on his social media platform, Trump wrote, “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 by Antifa and domestic terrorists. I am also authorizing full force, if necessary.”

The decision follows a surge of confrontations centered around Portland’s ICE detention center, where protests against immigration enforcement have escalated since June. In recent weeks, demonstrators have allegedly attacked and blockaded the facility, prompting federal officials to increase their security posture.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, confrontations have included a protester aiming a laser at an ICE officer’s eyes, smoke grenades deployed near officers, and sabotage of government equipment. Local leaders have repeatedly appealed for de-escalation, though tensions remain high.

Trump’s announcement comes on the heels of renewed pushes from Attorney General Pam Bondi and other federal actors to crack down on assaults against ICE and other federal law enforcement personnel. Bondi has vowed a zero-tolerance approach to violence targeting federal officers: “If you so much as touch one of our federal officers, you will go to prison,” she said in a video statement.

She warned that political violence would not be tolerated, and pledged support for aggressive prosecution. The DOJ is mobilizing its Joint Terrorism Task Forces to classify these attacks as domestic terrorism and pursue the most serious charges available.

White House policy chief Stephen Miller, a driving force behind hardline immigration policies, hailed the deployment as necessary to restore order. “This campaign of terrorism will be brought down,” Miller declared. He accused protest groups of waging “domestic terrorist sedition against the federal government” and promised that all required resources would be used.

High-profile incidents have added urgency to the federal response. A grand jury recently indicted three women accused of following an ICE agent home and livestreaming the agent’s address on social media. Meanwhile, in Texas, a suspect opened fire at a migrant detention facility, wounding at least three individuals. Investigators reported finding a bullet at the scene marked “anti ICE.”

As Portland becomes a focal point of confrontation, the broader deployment of troops to protect federal installations in other cities has already been under way. The White House recently deployed National Guard units to Washington, D.C., and Memphis, and earlier sent troops into Los Angeles amid fears of civil unrest.

With federal authorities now signaling they intend to treat these protests as matters of national security, the stakes have risen sharply. Civil liberties groups warn the deployment could inflame tensions, while supporters argue it’s a necessary defense of federal institutions.

Trump’s directive effectively elevates the ICE facility protests from local unrest to a flash point in his administration’s broader battle over immigration and law enforcement. The coming days will test whether military intervention will succeed in restoring order — or deepen the crisis over protest, policing, and federal authority.