Los Angeles, 6 October 2025 (dpa/MIA) - US President Donald Trump has sent 300 National Guardsmen from California to Portland, Oregon, according to California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday.

The move escalates the fight over the president's increasing use of troops in US cities.

"They are on their way there now," said Newsom, a Democrat and fierce Trump critic.

Neither the White House nor the Defence Department has yet commented on the matter.

Newsom's statement called the Trump administration's move to federalized members of the California National Guard and send them to Oregon a "breathtaking abuse of power," and announced that he plans to take the issue to court.

A day earlier, a federal judge in the neighbouring state of Oregon had prohibited the Trump administration from sending National Guardsmen stationed in Oregon to the city of Portland.

The state of Oregon and the city had filed a lawsuit to block the deployment ordered by the administration.

Governor Newsom accuses Trump of trying to circumvent that court ruling by using National Guardsmen from California instead.

Trump has repeatedly emphasized that combating crime on the streets is a key priority — and has sent troops into cities governed by Democrats, including Los Angeles and Washington.

He has also used soldiers to contain protests against raids on migrants by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. In Portland, protests around an ICE facility have recently increased.

Critics accuse Trump of using the National Guard deployments for political gain. There are fears that tensions in cities could escalate further amid ongoing ICE raids.

In the United States, state governors normally control their own National Guard units. However, in times of war or national emergency, the US president can assume command.

The National Guard is a reserve military force and part of the US armed forces. It is usually only deployed domestically during natural disasters, civil unrest and other emergencies.

MIA file photo