Portland?

The news out of Portland is more of the same brand of crazy becoming too normal these days. Trump ordered military troops into the city to “protect” ICE facilities. He called activists and organizers “domestic terrorists” and said he was prepared to use “full force.” Portland’s mayor responded bluntly: No troops are needed. There’s no violent uprising, no emergency—just an administration using military power to intimidate a city into compliance.

Since January, immigration enforcement has shifted from aggressive to militarized. On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order declaring a national “invasion.” That order set the stage for rapid expansion: more ICE agents, expanded detentions, funding cuts for sanctuary cities, and new powers for federal officers.

The results were immediate. In the first 100 days, ICE made over 66,000 arrests and deported 65,000 people. By September, the administration reported nearly two million people had been forced out of the country—400,000 through formal deportations and the rest through what DHS calls “voluntary departure.” Most of these people had no criminal record. The promise to target “the worst of the worst” was never real.

ICE has become the largest immigration enforcement force in the world, operating with minimal oversight. Agent identities are concealed. Detentions are happening without probable cause. Protests are labeled as terrorism. Cities that resist are threatened with losing funding or federal troop deployments.

In Portland, this escalation is playing out clearly. Earlier this week, city officials raised concerns about ICE holding people longer than legally allowed. The facility was hit with a land use violation notice. Instead of compliance, the federal government flooded the city with additional agents, framing it as a response to “domestic threats.” And last Saturday, Trump took it further by sending in the military.

This isn’t just about immigration policy. It’s about federal power being used to control local governments and communities. When troops are sent to a city over a political disagreement, it signals that opposition will be met with force, not dialogue.

Portland is a warning. The administration has shown that it’s willing to use every tool—military, surveillance, intimidation—to expand enforcement. That level of unchecked power is what separates a functioning democracy from an authoritarian state.

Document what’s happening. Support the people facing detention and deportation. Hold local leaders accountable for protecting their communities. And don’t normalize this. Federal troops policing American cities is not normal.

This week’s news makes one thing undeniable: immigration enforcement was never about safety or law. It’s about control. And it’s growing.