A timeline of Trump’s focus on Portland

A lot has happened — legally, politically and on the ground in Portland — since President Donald Trump announced he’d be sending National Guard troops to address perceived unrest in the city.

Here’s a quick look at how things have progressed and what’s still ahead.

Friday, Sept. 26: An anticipated surge in federal forces

People in Portland started hearing reports of a surge in the number of federal law enforcement present in the city.

After multiple sightings of armored cars coming and going from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, local elected officials held a press conference urging Portlanders to stay calm and not “take the bait” from the Trump administration’s show of force.

Saturday, Sept. 27: Trump calls in the National Guard

President Trump announced in a post on Truth Social that he was ordering federal troops to “protect War ravaged Portland.”

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson urged Trump to take back his order, stating that the number of troops needed in Portland is zero, and that the president’s idea of the city as war-ravaged is wholly inaccurate.

Police records show that at this time, protests at the ICE facility had been consistently small and uneventful for more than a month.

Sunday, Sept. 28: States sue to block deployment

Despite objections from more than 100 Oregon leaders, Trump authorized 200 members of the state’s National Guard, using federal authority to deploy them into Portland.

The state of Oregon and city of Portland promptly sued the Trump administration in an attempt to block the deployment.

Saturday, Oct. 4: US District Court halts Trump’s deployment

U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut granted Oregon and Portland a temporary restraining order, halting Trump’s deployment at least through Oct. 17.

Immergut, a Trump appointee in 2019, took over the case after Judge Michael Simon recused himself. Simon is married to Oregon Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, a Democrat who has opposed Trump’s troop deployment.

Hours after Immergut ruled against Trump’s deployment, federal officers at the ICE facility escalated the crowd control tactics they were using on protesters.

Protesters recover after gas is deployed at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, Portland, Ore., Oct. 4, 2025.
*Alejandro Figueroa / OPB*

Sunday, Oct. 5: Trump circumvents the judge, who blocks him again

In an early morning interview with reporters on the White House lawn, Trump criticized Immergut over her ruling. He appeared not to know who she was, mistakenly referring to her multiple times as a male judge.

Following that District Court ruling blocking his deployment of the Oregon National Guard, Trump instead ordered 300 troops from the California National Guard and 400 additional troops from Texas, which he’d already brought under federal command.

Immergut swiftly held another hearing and issued another ruling temporarily blocking those deployments. She told attorneys for the Trump administration she was “troubled” by the deployment of the guard from two other states, saying it “does appear to be in direct contradiction of my order.”

Tuesday, Oct. 7: Homeland Security Secretary Noem visits Portland

In the midst of ongoing tensions between local leaders and the Trump administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Portland’s ICE facility and met with Gov. Kotek.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stands on the roof of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025.
*Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB*

Her visit followed an effort by the Trump administration to portray the city as chaotic and in need of federal troops. Noem was flanked for much of her visit by right-wing media influencers who have been a frequent presence at the ICE protests.

This is part of a pattern OPB documented of right-wing media influencers being welcomed into the federal government to promote its messages. This kind of media access shows a deepening alliance between the administration and an online world willing to represent information toward furthering Trump’s political goals.

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Thursday, Oct. 9: American citizen sues over ICE arrest in Portland

Milwaukie resident Francisco Miranda, who was born in California, sent a tort claim to the Department of Homeland Security alleging he was wrongfully arrested by ICE agents at his place of work, a metal fabricator near the airport.

Miranda said he was accused of being in the country illegally, threatened with a dog attack if he didn’t comply, struck from behind and put into a van.

He was driven to the Portland ICE facility, the site of the ongoing protests, and held for several hours. He claimed he was later returned to his work and released “without being given any legitimate reason for his abduction.”

Appeals court skeptical of judge’s order blocking Trump

Also on Oct. 9, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit heard arguments over the Trump administration’s attempt to reverse Judge Immergut’s temporary restraining order blocking the troop deployment.

Two Trump appointees on the three judge panel appeared skeptical of Immergut’s ruling.

They indicated in their questioning that the president has sweeping authorities over law enforcement. They also questioned whether the judiciary has the authority to put limitations on National Guard deployments if the president believes it is necessary.

Sunday, Oct. 12: Inflatable frogs and naked cyclists challenge Trump narrative

As residents awaited word on whether the National Guard would be deployed in the city’s streets, Portland did what some say it does best at: to keep being weird.

The weekend after Noem’s visit was marked by occasional clashes with law enforcement, frequent dancing in the street and nudity in the cold, as hundreds of people took to two wheels for what organizers called an “emergency” World Naked Bike Ride.

Cyclists participate in a die-in on the Burnside Bridge in Portland, Ore. on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. Hundreds participated in the event, which began at the Convention Center Plaza and eventually made its way to the ICE building.
*Saskia Hatvany / OPB*

Even government officials joined in on the demonstration, with council heads of Metro, the regional government of Portland area, baring their shoulders on social media as they asked demonstrators to stay safe.

Hallmarks of the Portland protests leading up to that weekend had been the increasing numbers of inflatable costumes, particularly frogs, as well as a puppy parade and a man in a chicken suit.

This weekend cemented in the national conscience the whimsical ethos of Portland’s weekslong demonstration against National Guard deployment.

Wednesday, Oct. 15: Temporary restraining orders extended

U.S. District Court Judge Immergut extended the temporary rulings blocking the Trump administration from federalizing and deploying members of the National Guard to Portland.

The temporary restraining orders were set to expire on Oct. 17, but Immergut extended them for another 14 days.

The largely procedural decision maintained the status quo, as the Trump administration, the states of California and Oregon, and the city of Portland were still awaiting a ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

ICE facility hardly ‘inoperable’

Some of the most powerful judges in the U.S. continued to weigh whether federal buildings and staff in Portland need National Guard troops to protect them from protesters.

Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice believe the answer is yes. A primary data point in their argument: The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Portland building closed for 22 days over the summer.

And the U.S. Appeals Court for the 9th Circuit was heavily weighing that point.

But data reviewed by OPB shows any assertion that the building has been out of commission is inaccurate.

During the time period in question, ICE officers still detained people in the Portland facility. Bookings dipped compared to May, but the closure may not be to blame; every processing center in the Northwest had fewer bookings in June and July.

Saturday, Oct. 18: Peaceful protests and a show of force in Portland

A brief but substantial show of force from federal officers in Portland in the evening ended a day that had been full of peaceful No Kings protests across Oregon.

Protesters cheer as they listen to a speaker at the “No Kings 2.0” rally in Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Ore., Oct. 18, 2025.
*Eli Imadali / OPB*

People protested throughout the Pacific Northwest and the country against Trump’s mass deportation efforts and his deployment of the National Guard to American cities.

Tens of thousands of people marched in Portland alone, and crowds saw minimal conflict with counterprotesters throughout the day. In the evening, a smaller group of about 500 protesters at Portland’s ICE facility were met with heavy force from federal agents in the evening.

A protester in an inflatable axolotl costume wrapped in a Mexican flag navigates a cloud of tear gas. Officers continued using a barrage of chemical agents and munitions on the nonviolent protesters after the driveway was cleared.
*Eli Imadali / OPB*

A protester opens a canister of baking soda and water in an attempt to neutralize tear gas deployed by federal officers and agents outside of the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, Ore., Oct. 18, 2025. Officers continued using a barrage of chemical agents and munitions on the nonviolent protesters after the driveway was cleared. About 500 people gathered outside the facility to continue protesting following the “No Kings 2.0” rally.
*Eli Imadali / OPB*

Monday, Oct. 20: One restraining order overturned

A panel of three judges on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overruled a temporary restraining order from U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut that blocked the federalization of the Oregon National Guard.

But the ruling only covered one of the two temporary restraining orders she had issued. Her second restraining order was not challenged and remained in place, blocking federalized National Guard troops anywhere in the U.S. from deploying to Oregon.

The two judges who wrote the majority opinion for the 9th Circuit stated that because both of Immergut’s restraining orders are based on the same legal reasoning, they should both be dissolved — the two “rise or fall together” on the merits.

“Not so,” the third appeals court judge stated in her dissenting opinion. “Nothing in the majority’s order does — or could — require the district court to dissolve the second TRO, which is not before us.”

Friday, Oct. 24: A decision, delayed

Judge Immergut held a hearing to try to resolve the matter of her second TRO, and she announced that she would rule on whether or not to dissolve it by Monday, Oct. 27, potentially opening the door to troop deployment.

But within a few hours, the 9th Circuit stayed its original order on Immergut’s first TRO. The appeals court wanted to give more time to a broader swathe of judges to decide whether to rehear the matter. The newly-issued hold was set to last until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Tuesday, Oct. 28: Appeals court will rehear case

Judges on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals voted to rehear a case over whether or not President Trump can call up and deploy 200 members of the Oregon National Guard. That decision also reversed an earlier ruling that sided with the Trump administration.

As part of the rehearing, or “en banc” proceedings, announced Tuesday, a panel of 11 different appeals court judges will once again consider the case, previously heard by panel of just three judges.

“The court is sending a clear message: the president cannot send the military into U.S. cities unnecessarily,” Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a statement responding to the news. “We will continue defending Oregon’s laws, values, and sovereignty as this case moves forward and our fight continues in the courts.”

It’s unclear when the new hearing over the case will take place.

Wednesday, Oct. 29: Trial over National Guard deployment begins

With the timing on the appeals court’s rehearing still up in the air, the trial over the state and city’s underlying lawsuit challenging the National Guard deployment got underway on Oct. 29.

A federal trial is under way in Portland on Wednesday, where U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut will decide if President Trump acted lawfully or violated the state’s rights by trying to deploy the National Guard, Oct. 29, 2025.
*Illustration by Rita Sabler / OPB*

At the trial, U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut heard arguments over whether the Trump administration followed the statute that outlines when a president can federalize the National Guard and what the U.S. Constitution says about the authority of the executive branch to deploy members of the National Guard — or whether those efforts in Portland infringed on the state’s rights.

Wednesday, Oct. 29: Guard deployed to Portland despite judges order

The first day of the federal trial over the National Guard deployment to Portland got off to a surprising start, with the revelation that members of the Oregon National Guard briefly deployed to the Portland ICE facility in early October — a move that may have violated Judge Immergut’s restraining order.

Emails submitted to the court say nine members of the Oregon National Guard were sent to the ICE facility and concluded their shift in the early hours of Oct. 5.

Portland police Assistant Chief Craig Dobson, left, is questioned by Senior Deputy City Attorney Caroline Turco, about the bureau’s crowd control policies during the second day of a trial over the legality of domestic military deployment to Portland, Oct. 30, 2025 in Portland, Ore.
*Illustration by Rita Sabler / Special to OPB*

“At 11:35 PDT today, a force of nine MPs arrived at the ICE facility in downtown Portland, Oregon where they assumed their first support mission,” wrote Col. Jeff Merenkov at 3:28 p.m. on Oct. 4.

The email included a schedule that showed the troops’ “shift conclusion” was set for midnight. That same day, Immergut issued a restraining order at 3:40 p.m. barring the president from federalizing the Oregon National Guard and blocking their deployment.

Jean Lin, special counsel for the Justice Department, confirmed the deployment to Immergut but provided few specifics — minutes before the trial began.

“We’ll talk later about whether that’s contempt,” the judge responded to Lin.

Sunday, Nov. 2: Immergut blocks deployment. Again

For the fourth time in the past month, Judge Immergut has again blocked the National Guard from deploying to Portland. The temporary injunction only lasts until Nov. 7 at 5 p.m., but her order suggested she was likely to side the city of Portland and states of Oregon and California.

In her 16-page order, Immergut said she found “no credible evidence” that protests outside the ICE building “grew out of control or involved more than isolated and sporadic instances of violent conduct that resulted in no serious injuries to federal personnel,” in the months before the president took control of the Oregon National Guard.