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The U.S. Department of Justice has outlined its case to bring National Guard troops to Portland. They claim the troops are necessary to protect workers in federal facilities, including the ICE building. They say that especially with the recent shooting in Dallas, Texas the troops are needed to protect federal employees. Oregon's Attorney General filed the motion that claimed the troops would only exacerbate the protests, it takes the Guard away if they might be needed for a State emergency, and does not meet the legal bar for federalization of the National Guard. A hearing on the motion is scheduled today.
The federal judge in Portland who's overseeing the city's motion to reverse deployment of National Guard troops has been reassigned at the request of the Trump Administration. Judge Michael Simon is married to Oregon U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici, who has been outspoken against the deployment. Federal prosecutors argued it would be a conflict of interest for Judge Simon to hear the motion. The case was reassigned to Judge Karen Immergut, who was nominated to serve in 2019 by President Trump. The troop deployment is waiting for the judge's decision after hearing the motion.