Former US President Donald Trump has announced the deployment of troops to Portland, Oregon, describing the city as “war-ravaged” and authorising the use of “full force” if necessary.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was directing “Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary troops to protect war-ravaged Portland” and secure Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities allegedly under attack by Antifa and what he termed “domestic terrorists.”

Trump’s announcement comes amid a broader crackdown on illegal immigration and growing unrest in US cities. It remains unclear whether the deployment will involve National Guard units or regular military forces, and what the president means by authorising “full force.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Friday that demonstrators had repeatedly attacked and laid siege to an ICE processing centre in Portland, with several arrests made. DHS also accused Rose City Antifa of doxxing ICE officers and sending death threats to federal personnel.

Trump’s move has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, who warned it could escalate tensions. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden likened the situation to 2020, when federal forces were deployed against racial justice protests. “I urge Oregonians not to fall into Trump’s attempt to incite violence,” Wyden said.

Representative Suzanne Bonamici also accused ICE of detaining people who posed no real threat, citing examples including a firefighter and a father arrested outside his child’s preschool.

Civil liberties experts have questioned the legality of Trump’s order, pointing out that there is no formal mechanism to designate Antifa a domestic terrorist group, and warning that such actions could violate free speech protections under the First Amendment.

However, the decision won support from US Labour Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who said Portland had become a “crime-ridden war zone” and thanked Trump “for taking action to keep our ICE facilities protected.”

Earlier this year, Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Memphis to respond to unrest linked to immigration raids. But a federal judge later ruled the Los Angeles deployment illegal, citing the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts military involvement in domestic law enforcement.

It remains uncertain whether Trump’s latest order to send troops to Oregon has a legal basis.