Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek says Portland doesn't need Trump's help. I beg to differ. | Opinion

They say the only things in life that are certain are death and taxes, but I think I could add a third axiom to that list: President Donald Trump will vow to fix a problem, Democrats will claim it isn't a problem, or that he's an authoritarian overreacting. Trump will fix it anyway; they'll admit he was half-right, and the cycle will start over.

This happened with the overrun border and a National Guard presence in Washington, DC, and it's bound to happen in Portland, Oregon, too.

Oregon and Portland have sued the Trump administration after the president announced on Sept. 27 that he was authorizing National Guard troops to the city to protect federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities against anti-fascists and other "domestic terrorists."

In a social media post, Trump called Portland "War ravaged." Trump has also said, "It's like living in hell."

Portland needs help, even if local officials won't admit it

Oregon's Democratic governor, Tina Kotek, disagrees with Trump's description of Portland and his crackdown.

“When the president and I spoke yesterday," Kotek said in a news release on Sept. 28, "I told him in plain language that there is no insurrection or threat to public safety that necessitates military intervention in Portland or any other city in our state. Despite this ‒ and all evidence to the contrary ‒ he has chosen to disregard Oregonians’ safety and ability to govern ourselves. This is not necessary. And it is unlawful. And it will make Oregonians less safe."

Let's take a look at how safe Portland is.

In July, the Department of Homeland Security warned Portland officials and residents about increasing lawlessness toward Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and the destruction of federal property. The city’s violent protests that target federal facilities show that local leaders and law enforcement are either unable or unwilling to maintain law and order. Federal officials are responding to ongoing issues in the absence of an orderly police presence enforcing laws.

It seems the lawlessness in Portland has spread to ICE facilities. While police have reported that homicides and other crimes declined in 2024 and the first half of 2025, the number of shootings in Portland has been trending up since 2019.

According to the Portland Homicide Problem Analysis 2019-21 report, there was a dramatic surge in homicides. In 2020, the Portland City Council cut $15 million from the police budget.

While deaths from drug overdoses declined in 2024, the number is still higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Oregonians have reported some of the highest rates of substance use disorder in the nation on federal surveys," a 2023 article from Oregon Public Broadcasting said. "The opioid crisis is nearly three decades old and use of methamphetamine, long Oregon’s deadliest drug, has not abated."

Homelessness is a serious problem, too. Portland ranks 12th among cities with the highest homeless population.

Why do Democrats hate law and order?

I know there is little Trump can or should do about failures at the local and state levels of Oregon's government. This is the job of local government and law enforcement. They have the responsibility to provide Portlanders with public safety and robust infrastructure.

In the absence of this, particularly with federal agents and property, it is Trump's right and duty to employ the National Guard to reinstate order.

Though a short-term presence of the National Guard might not fix any specific systemic issues in Portland, it could reinforce the fact that the presence of law enforcement deters crime. This is what happened in the nation's capital weeks ago. The presence of National Guard troops and federal agents there helped restore order.

I understand why city leaders reflexively oppose Trump sending in federal troops to enforce law and order, if for any reason other than that it's just embarrassing. I also understand why Democrats and many Republicans oppose it on the grounds that Trump is overstepping and violating the Constitution.

Since Trump is ordering the National Guard to protect ICE facilities that the president believes were "under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists," he may be acting well within his bounds. The president is not obligated to allow federal law enforcement to be under attack because local leaders allow lawlessness due to ideology or complacency. If the president cannot uphold federal law, and local law enforcement won't do it, anarchy will take over.

Deterring rampant crime, drug use, homelessness and rioters from attacking federal facilities does not need to be a partisan issue. Democrats do everyone a disservice when they consistently ignore the real issue to focus on Trump's reaction to the issue: It's disingenuous to constituents, dangerous to residents, and is a political match to a steaming pile of dry garbage. It's a losing issue for Democrats practically and politically.

Trump has the right to restore law and order when it comes to the protection of federal agents and properties. Democratic city leaders who have let Portland circle the drain can pout and complain about overreach or how Portland wasn't a crime-ridden, drug-addled mess of a city. We'll see if it's fixed in a few months, just like Washington was and then the cycle will continue somewhere else.

Nicole Russell is a columnist at USA TODAY and a mother of four who lives in Texas. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @russell_nm. Sign up for her weekly newsletter, The Right Track, here.