President Donald Trump directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to deploy troops to Portland in response to the ongoing Antifa occupation outside the ICE facility on Macadam Avenue in the southwest waterfront.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and a coalition of Democratic mayors from across Oregon are circulating a draft letter that explicitly denounces any federal "militarization" of the Portland metro area. This comes after President Donald Trump announced that federal troops would be deployed to Portland to quell unrest stemming from the 24-hour Antifa occupation outside the ICE facility, which has been under violent siege since June 7.
The Post Millennial has obtained an exclusive copy of the unsigned draft, dated September 26, 2025, which outlines a coordinated resistance strategy among mayors in the Portland metro area. The letter warns that local governments will withhold resources from any federal operation the mayors perceive as infringing on civil liberties. It also commits Portland to providing direct legal support for protesters - including members of the designated terrorist organization Antifa - and deploying "human rights observers" to scrutinize federal actions.
Furthermore, city sources told The Post Millennial that Mayor Wilson intends to contact Portland hotels and urge them to prevent federal officers and military personnel from sleeping there.
The joint letter reads as follows: "As regional leaders, we commit to pursuing all legal and legislative options to counter this unprecedented, unnecessary, and unwanted effort to utilize militarized forces in a manner that could violate the constitutional rights of our community. We will use all legal tools at our disposal to deny our jurisdictions' personnel, equipment, facilities, and resources from any participation or support of militarized federal actions that target the civil rights of our community, including that of assembly, free expression, or protest, unless directly required by local, state, or federal law."
Portland and the other joining jurisdictions listed several ways they plan to "safeguard the rights" of their communities. This includes the following: creating and sharing effective and accessible legal resources; coordinating across local governments, businesses, and community organizations to share information and address the fears and needs of our community; submitting FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP); and deploying human rights observers to monitor, assess, and make determinations regarding the legality of federal action in respect to constitutional rights of assembly, protest, and free expression.
On Saturday morning, President Donald Trump directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to deploy troops to Portland in response to the ongoing Antifa occupation outside the ICE facility on Macadam Avenue in the southwest waterfront.
"At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists. I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Since June 7, several blocks outside the Portland ICE facility have been taken over by anti-ICE protesters, many of whom are involved with Antifa networks. The US designated Antifa a domestic terrorist group earlier this week. The group formed an organized 24-hour occupation, which includes shifts and a tent encampment just outside the ICE facility. The site is the scene of near-nightly clashes between federal law enforcement officers and black-clad agitators.
The Department of Justice has criminally charged more than 27 protesters for a variety of offenses, including assaults on federal police officers causing serious bodily injury, arson, and vandalizing government property. Portland Police officers have also arrested over 20 individuals for protest-related crimes committed on public property, according to records.
Protesters became more emboldened after an August court ruling that decided Portland Police do not have to respond to the area. Multnomah County Judge Ellen Rosenblum, the state's former Democratic Attorney General, ruled that police are not required to enforce noise ordinances against demonstrators outside the ICE facility, rejecting a writ of mandamus lawsuit filed by a local resident who had asked the state to quell the ongoing nightly noise disturbances stemming from the occupation.
Local residents impacted by the nightly chaos have been pleading with the Trump administration for federal intervention over the past several months.
Oregon Democratic leaders falsely claim that there is no chaos occurring near the ICE facility, rejecting the president's deployment of troops. However, the area has often resembled a war zone for more than 100 consecutive days.
The Post Millennial reached out to Mayor Wilson's Office for comment.
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