U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut has blocked Donald Trump's attempt to federalize and deploy the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, amid anti-ICE protests. The ruling, issued last Friday, found that civilian law enforcement had the situation under control and dismissed the Justice Department's claims as unreliable. Immergut, a Trump nominee, highlighted repeated falsehoods by government witnesses in her 106-page decision.
Last Friday, U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump nominee, issued a permanent injunction preventing the federalization and deployment of the National Guard to Portland, Oregon. The move was intended to address anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests, but Immergut ruled that the administration lacked legal authority, as local police could manage the situation effectively.
The 106-page opinion centered on a credibility dispute following a three-day bench trial. Oregon testified that its police had the protests under control, while the Justice Department described a violent emergency. Immergut deemed Oregon's accounts credible and rejected many government assertions as exaggerations or falsehoods. As co-host Mark Joseph Stern noted on Slate's Amicus podcast, "Over and over again, the testimony that Judge Immergut found not to be credible was submitted by the Trump administration."
Key examples included testimony from ICE field office director Cammilla Wamsley, who claimed protesters caused catastrophic damage to the Portland ICE facility, breaking all first-floor windows, some on upper floors, all entry doors, and 20-foot steel gates. Immergut found "no credible evidence" for this, noting the absence of photos, repair documentation, or corroborating witnesses. Wamsley's claim of a lobby invasion was also dismissed as inconsistent with other evidence, including government testimony.
Further inconsistencies involved alleged violence: a Federal Protective Service official testified that agents were hit by fireworks and rocks, but no evidence or victims appeared in court. ICE reported being barricaded inside due to violence and a fire, yet Portland police investigations revealed federal officers freely entering and exiting, and the "fire" was a peaceful candlelight vigil. Portland police activity logs contradicted ICE claims, with one captain warning that they were "frequently contradicted by video feeds and subsequent activity."
Federal officers accused Portland police of ignoring aid requests, justifying the Guard's need, but Immergut ruled this not credible, as records showed routine local assistance. This ruling builds on prior instances where the Justice Department was caught lying in the case. Stern emphasized the importance of such judicial records: "It is harder for the Supreme Court to do whatever it wants to do when a judge has said one side is lying."
The decision underscores tensions between state and federal law enforcement, with Portland police prioritizing public safety while federal accounts appeared tailored to support Trump's narrative.