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Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday visited the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, where protests continue amid the administration’s immigration crackdown.
Videos shared inside the facility showed Noem meeting with local officials and taking the first few minutes to pray over officers.
Her visit followed a heated meeting with Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek at the Portland airport, the governor’s office confirmed.
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Kotek said she personally requested the meeting after hearing “through unofficial channels,” Noem may be visiting the city.
“Today, in my meeting with Secretary Noem, I reiterated again that there is no insurrection in Oregon,” Kotek wrote in a statement. “Twice now, a federal judge has affirmed that there is no legal basis for military deployment in Portland. I was clear that I have confidence in local law enforcement to meet the moment.”
The governor added that she requested DHS and ICE “obey Oregon laws when they engage in federal operations.”
“I reiterated that I continue to be focused on doing whatever I can to protect Oregonians from military intervention or harmful federal law enforcement tacticsm” Kotek wrote. “Oregon is united against military policing in our communities.”
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Minutes later, the governor’s office released a separate statement, confirming Kotek directed the U.S. Northern Command to take “immediate action” to demobilize Oregon’s 200 National Guard members and California’s 200 National Guard members, who were deployed to Portland to protect federal property and personnel near the facility.
The move came after Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued a temporary restraining order Saturday halting the deployment of Oregon troops, and expanded the order Sunday, prohibiting the federal government from deploying any federalized National Guard troops within Oregon.
Kotek directed the return of all 200 California National Guard members to California.
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The Oregon National Guard members are currently staged at Camp Rilea and the California National Guard is at Camp Withycombe, according to the statement.
“Judge Karin J. Immergut’s orders are a clear and forceful rebuttal to President Trump’s misuse of states’ National Guard. Thus, I am directing Northern Command to send Oregon’s citizen-soldiers home from Camp Rilea immediately,” Kotek wrote.
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“Let’s remember that these Oregonians are our neighbors and friends, who have been unlawfully uprooted from their family and careers—they deserve better than this,” she added.
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