The state of Oregon filed a lawsuit Sunday to stop President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy 200 National Guard troops to tackle violent crime in Portland.

The move is escalating tensions between the White House and state Democrats over how to handle ongoing unrest.

The suit came just hours after Democrat Gov. Tina Kotek received a memo from Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth has authorized a 60-day deployment of federally controlled Oregon National Guard units.

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According to the order, troops would be stationed to secure federal property “where protests are occurring or likely to occur.”

Kotek, joined by Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and Attorney General Dan Rayfield, immediately moved to challenge the order in federal court.

“Oregon communities are stable, and our local officials have been clear: we have the capacity to manage public safety without federal interference,” Rayfield said.

The governor, echoing the attorney general, dismissed Trump’s concerns and claimed the city was not facing the kind of crisis that warranted federal troops.

“Our city is a far cry from the war-ravaged community he has posted on social media,” Kotek told reporters Saturday.

“There is no insurrection, there is no threat to national security, and there is no need for military troops in our major city.”

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Trump, however, made clear on Truth Social that he had no intention of backing down.

“I have directed Secretary Pete Hegseth to send all necessary Troops to protect war-ravaged Portland, and any other ICE facilities under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic terrorists,” Trump wrote.

Federal agents began arriving in Portland over the weekend, with at least one clash already reported outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

Mayor Wilson blasted the deployment, claiming the Guard’s presence was uninvited.

“We did not ask for them to come,” Wilson said.

“They are here without precedent or purpose.”

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Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) warned protesters not to engage with federal personnel.

“Their goal is to create an engagement that will lead to conflict,” Merkley said.

The lawsuit mirrors a similar case filed by California earlier this year after Trump ordered troops into Los Angeles, also to protect federal property from escalating left-wing demonstrations.

Rayfield suggested the move was politically motivated.

“This will only serve to divide us as a nation and community under the guise of caring about public safety,” he said.

“The number of necessary troops is zero.”

The Department of War declined to comment on pending litigation but confirmed that the Oregon deployment order stands for now.

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