by Ben Whedon
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller on Monday excoriated a federal judge over her order blocking the deployment of the National Guard to Oregon amid ongoing riots in Portland and harassment of federal immigration authorities.
“A district court judge has no conceivable authority, whatsoever, to restrict the President and Commander-in-Chief from dispatching members of the US military to defend federal lives and property,” he posted on X. “Today’s judicial ruling is one of the most egregious and thunderous violations of constitutional order we have ever seen — and is yet the latest example of unceasing efforts to nullify the 2024 election by fiat.”
Miller’s comments follow U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut on Sunday evening blocking the deployment of the National Guard for the second time, citing the 10th Amendment.
Trump has sought to deploy the guard as members of Antifa have harassed federal law enforcement in Portland for years. The 2020 George Floyd riots, for instance, saw rioters attack the federal courthouse. Miller, for his part, insisted that ongoing efforts by demonstrators were designed to impede deportations.
“The Portland Police have refused to render aid and assistance to ICE officers,” Miller added. ” The intention and purpose of the attacks on ICE is to prevent ICE from performing its duties and to force as many ICE officers as possible out of the field and into a defensive posture. It is a violent armed resistance designed to incapacitate the essential operations of the duly-elected federal government, by force.”
In reaction to the judge’s ruling, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson issued statements.
Kotek said the ruling shows a “clear and forceful rebuttal to President Trump’s misuse of states’ National Guard.”
“The rule of law must stand. This is not just about Oregon or a handful of states anymore — it’s about the integrity of our democracy,” she stated.
The governor said Trump’s “actions are an effort to occupy and incite cities and states that don’t share his politics.” Kotek added that she believes that Trump will “continue to push the limits of his authority.”
Rayfield said the president can’t “keep playing whack-a-mole with different states’ Guard units to get around court orders and the rule of law.”
The attorney general noted the ruling recognized that “there is no rebellion, no invasion, and no justification for militarizing our communities.”
Wilson said Portland doesn’t need federal troops from Oregon or any other states.
Our local police officers are focused on protecting Portlanders’ right to protest peacefully and keeping our community safe. Federal troops will not make our community safer, period,” he stated.
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Ben Whedon is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
Photo “Stephen Miller” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 4.0.
