A US federal judge has dealt a temporary blow to President Donald Trump by blocking his plan to deploy 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland. The decision, handed down by District Judge Karin Immergut in Portland on Saturday, prevents the troop deployment at least until October 18. Interestingly, Judge Immergut was appointed by Trump during his first term, making the ruling a significant setback for the president.

Trump has repeatedly sought to send military forces to cities he describes as lawless amid ongoing protests, often clashing with Democratic city leaders who oppose such moves. However, the judge ruled that there is no evidence recent protests in Portland amounted to a rebellion or seriously interfered with law enforcement operations. “The President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts,” Immergut wrote, according to Reuters.

Following the ruling, the Trump administration quickly filed a notice of appeal with the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals late Saturday.

Trump has repeatedly characterized Portland as “war-ravaged,” but lawyers from the Oregon attorney general’s office have argued otherwise. They say the protests in Portland have been “small and sedate,” noting only 25 arrests occurred in mid-June and none in the three and a half months since June 19.

The White House responded to the court’s decision, expressing confidence that a higher court would reverse the ruling. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court.”

Portland’s Mayor Keith Wilson also pushed back against the president’s characterization of the city, calling the “war-ravaged” narrative “manufactured” during a press conference. He insisted the city remains peaceful despite the president’s claims.

Oregon had challenged Trump’s troop deployment plan in court, arguing it was illegal. The state accused Trump of exaggerating the threat posed by protests to justify unlawfully taking control of the state’s National Guard units. Oregon’s lawsuit pointed out that Trump announced the deployment after Fox News aired footage of much larger and more turbulent protests from 2020, not recent ones.

The state argued that sending troops only to Democratic-led cities like Portland violates federal laws and the state’s sovereign right to manage its own police forces. It also claimed the move breaches the 10th Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects states’ rights.

Trump has already deployed National Guard forces to cities like Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and has said he plans to send troops to several others.