MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from sending any National Guard troops to Oregon.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
This second ruling from the same judge responds to an administration effort to send troops in from out of state. The drama is just one of the administration's efforts over the weekend to deploy troops into American cities.
MARTIN: NPR's Joe Hernandez is here to tell us more about this. Good morning, Joe.
JOE HERNANDEZ, BYLINE: Good morning.
MARTIN: So first, could you just bring us up to date on this legal back-and-forth over sending National Guard to Portland?
HERNANDEZ: Yeah. So the Trump administration first tried to federalize the Oregon National Guard, which a judge temporarily blocked over the weekend. So the administration then tried to send the California National Guard to Oregon instead, which California's governor then criticized. The administration also called on the Texas National Guard to go to Portland and Chicago. But in a hearing late on Sunday, that same judge temporarily blocked the federalized Guard troops coming from any state and going to Oregon. So Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said the Trump administration - their plans to send in the California Guard appeared to be an effort to circumvent that judge's first ruling. And California Governor Gavin Newsom called Trump's sending the California Guard, quote, "a breathtaking abuse of the law and power." So this is all happening because the Trump administration says the federal government needs to step in and help, quote, "war-ravaged Portland."
MARTIN: All right. So the administration is calling Portland war-ravaged. What do we know about what the situation is in the neighborhoods in the city in Portland?
HERNANDEZ: Well, both the Oregon governor and the mayor of Portland have said that it's business as usual in the city. Now, there have been protests outside of ICE facilities there recently, like in many places across the country. And an Oregon Public Broadcasting reporter was outside one ICE facility over the weekend and saw federal officers firing tear gas at protesters without any signs of clear provocation. The federal judge who ruled on the case said those protests that have been occurring there over the summer have generally been small and capable of being handled by the local police in Portland.
MARTIN: And then there's Chicago. You know, President Trump has been threatening to send the National Guard there for weeks. What's happening with that situation?
HERNANDEZ: Right. And this one has been a long time coming. The administration federalized at least 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, who would likely be sent to Chicago. And then, late Sunday, it also mobilized 400 members of the Texas National Guard. And that late-Sunday revelation led to an outcry from Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who said he was not told of those plans, and he called the troop movements, quote, "Trump's invasion." A Pentagon memo reviewed by NPR says the Guard will be used there to protect federal law enforcement officials and federal property. Again, Trump has criticized what he's characterized as high crime rates and lawlessness in Chicago. And again, the Democratic leaders there say that's just not the case.
MARTIN: OK. So we've talked about Portland and we've talked about Chicago, but those are not the only cities the president has talked about sending federal forces to. What are some of the other areas that he's mentioned?
HERNANDEZ: New Orleans. Baltimore is one. And another area he's mentioned is Memphis, Tennessee. Now, this place is unlike most of the others because that plan actually has the support of Tennessee's Republican governor, Bill Lee. And there's actually a federal law enforcement crackdown underway in Memphis now, which officials say will include the National Guard. Trump clearly sees this as a strategy that he can use in cities across the country.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Joe Hernandez. Joe, thank you.
HERNANDEZ: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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