Governor Kotek Directs Northern Command to Send National Guard Members Home

Portland, OR – In a correspondence sent today, Governor Tina Kotek directed the United States Northern Command to take immediate action to demobilize Oregon’s 200 National Guard citizen-soldiers and return the 200 California National Guard members to California. The Oregon National Guard members are currently staged at Camp Rilea and the California National Guard is staged at Camp Withycombe.

“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,” Governor Kotek said. “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.”

On October 4, U.S. District Court Judge Karin J. Immergut ruled that the President lacks authority to federalize the Oregon National Guard under 10 U.S.C. §12406, which permits federalization of the Guard only in circumstances of invasion, rebellion, or when federal laws cannot otherwise be executed. None of those circumstances exist in Oregon.

On October 5, the judge issued a second order, reiterating that the President lacks the authority to deploy National Guard troops from any state to Oregon, given the facts on the ground.

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