All Oregon National Guard troops to return home from federal orders

All Oregon National Guard members will return home after the Trump administration’s ill-fated attempts to deploy them to Portland under federal orders, Gov. Tina Kotek announced Wednesday. 

Kotek said she heard from the U.S. Northern Command, which took control of 200 Oregon Guard members on Sept. 28, that it is demobilizing the guard and returning them to state command. Earlier this week, Kotek said the federal government had continued a deployment for half the troops while ordering the 100 others home. 

“They spent nearly 50 days away from their families, friends and civilian jobs on an unnecessary mission that cost taxpayers millions of dollars,” Kotek said in a statement. “Now that this ordeal is ending, I call on President Trump to honor his oath and focus on the real challenges facing Americans — helping families afford their health care, housing and basic costs of living without breaking the bank.” 

The federalized troops from Oregon have been stationed at a coastal training camp waiting for legal arguments to play out since U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut first blocked Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from deploying the Oregon troops on Oct. 4. Another  200 California National Guard troops the administration sent to the state after Immergut’s first order were waiting at another Oregon military base.

Immergut permanently blocked deployment of any federalized troops to Portland nearly two weeks ago, ruling that daily protests outside the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility that often resemble an improv theater performance are in no way a “rebellion” against the federal government. The Trump administration is appealing Immergut’s ruling to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. 

The Oregon Military Department estimates that the deployment cost taxpayers $16 million. National Guard troops will have to travel to Texas for demobilization, which includes medical and mental health screenings. It’s unclear whether they’ll be reunited with their families in Oregon by Thanksgiving.