What happened on Portland’s streets this fall should alarm every American who believes in law and order: after repeated protests at the federal ICE facility, the federal government moved to federalize 200 members of the Oregon National Guard and place them under federal command to protect federal property. Oregon’s attorney general immediately filed for a temporary restraining order, arguing the move was unlawful and politically motivated, turning a straightforward security decision into a courtroom fight. This is not theater; it is a dispute over whether the federal government can protect its people and buildings when local officials refuse to do so.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the ICE compound, and in some moments protesters succeeded in shutting down nearby streets and interrupting bus service, creating chaos for commuters and businesses that had nothing to do with the immigration debate. Videos circulating online show clashes and chaotic scenes that local leaders downplayed while residents paid the price in blocked roads and disrupted transit. Americans who go to work every day don’t get a pass because a mob decides to make a political point.
But rather than calm the situation, Portland’s political class raced to the courtroom, suing to stop the guard deployment and accusing the President of a stunt. The state sought emergency relief and pushed the dispute into federal court almost at once, framing the decision to protect federal personnel as a constitutional abuse instead of a commonsense security measure. This reflexive litigation posture from left-wing officials only encourages more lawlessness by signaling that political theater will outpace public safety.
President Trump and the Pentagon acted because federal property — and the agents who protect it — have a right to be defended, and when city and state leaders refuse to restore order the federal government has a duty to step in. Courts have become the battleground for this question, and higher courts later weighed in to allow the deployments to proceed in the face of local obstruction. Patriots should applaud any lawful step that restores order and safeguards federal personnel from violent mobs.
Meanwhile, the violent fringe — the Antifa militants who hide behind the language of protest — keeps escalating, and law-abiding citizens are left vulnerable while city officials look the other way. Conservative reporters and local watchdogs documented the dismantling of encampments and the scurrying of leftist organizers when confronted with enforcement, proving that when authorities are willing to act the disorder subsides. This isn’t about silencing dissent; it’s about refusing to let political violence terrorize families and small businesses.
If conservatives learned anything from these clashes it should be this: support law enforcement and the troops who protect our communities, and hold elected officials accountable when they choose ideology over public safety. Demand that federal and state leaders prioritize the safety of everyday Americans over the optics of partisan virtue-signaling, and don’t let cities become safe harbors for political violence. We owe it to the men and women who serve in uniform and to our neighbors who just want to get to work to stand firm for order, sovereignty, and the rule of law.
