The recent ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirms the president’s authority to deploy the National Guard when the federal government deems it necessary, particularly in situations where local law enforcement has failed to maintain order or protect federal interests. This decision, handed down in October 2025, overturned a lower court’s temporary restraining order that had blocked President Trump’s deployment of troops to Portland, Oregon, amid ongoing unrest. The court emphasized that such federalization is permissible under laws allowing the executive branch to address invasions, rebellions, or threats to federal operations, without requiring state approval in extreme cases. This precedent strengthens the federal government’s hand in intervening where local authorities are overwhelmed or compromised, ensuring that national security and public safety aren’t left solely to potentially unreliable municipal forces.

The necessity of this ruling stems from the reality that local urban police departments can become irredeemably corrupted, transforming into tools for terrorizing and extorting the citizens they are sworn to protect. In cities plagued by prolonged riots and ideological extremism, police forces have sometimes aligned with violent agitators rather than upholding the law, leading to breakdowns in civil order. This corruption manifests in selective enforcement, where officers shield certain groups while targeting federal agents attempting to restore stability. Such failures not only endanger lives but also erode public trust, justifying federal intervention like National Guard deployment to bypass compromised local institutions and safeguard critical infrastructure.

A stark example is the Portland Police Bureau’s conduct during the 2020 unrest and beyond, where officers weren’t merely shielding Antifa militants—they were actively undermining Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents. Reports indicate that Portland police have been caught accepting videos from leftist protesters to initiate investigations against DHS personnel who used non-lethal measures like pepper spray on rioters attempting to assault federal officers. Meanwhile, these same police allowed Antifa members—who tried to blind agents with lasers or other tactics—to evade capture by hiding behind police lines, all while hampering DHS’s self-defense capabilities. At this juncture, the Portland Police Department appears beyond salvage, warranting the immediate withdrawal of federal funds to prevent further misuse of taxpayer money in supporting such dysfunction.