Portland has long been the poster child for progressive dysfunction — a city that once proudly branded itself as quirky and alternative, but now grapples with surging crime, eroded public trust, and a law enforcement agency stretched to the brink. Now, amid renewed violence targeting federal facilities and a disturbing spike in homicides, the president of Portland’s police union has issued a message that would’ve been unthinkable just a few years ago: he’s open to federal support, including the possibility of National Guard troops.
Sgt. Aaron Schmautz, head of the Portland Police Association, didn’t mince words. Speaking to Fox News Digital, he described a city in crisis and a police department “horrifically understaffed” at precisely the time it is most needed. “We are still working our way out of a significant… expansion in our crime profile,” Schmautz said. “Our homicides went up five times from 2020 to 2023.” Even now, the city logged nine homicides in the last month alone.
That’s not just a spike. That’s systemic failure.
Enter President Donald Trump, who announced on Truth Social that he is prepared to deploy federal forces to Portland — again — this time at the request of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Trump’s focus? Protecting ICE facilities under near-nightly siege from Antifa-aligned groups and so-called “domestic terrorists.” As he put it:
“I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”
That line, predictably, triggered alarm bells on the Left. But for those living and working inside Portland — especially law enforcement and federal agents — it wasn’t fear they expressed. It was relief.
Camilla Wamsley, director of Portland’s ICE office, described the agency’s facility as being under violent siege for over 100 nights. Rockets, barricades, and lasers targeting officers’ eyes have become standard. Portland police, she said, were ordered not to help.
That order — and the silence from city leadership — is the core of this crisis. Portland’s city council has long made its animosity toward law enforcement clear. Defunding efforts, anti-police rhetoric, and public grandstanding have left officers unsupported and demoralized. “There is a lot of just open, very, very anti-police rhetoric in our city council meetings,” Schmautz confirmed.
This isn’t about overreach. It’s about rescue.
Schmautz isn’t eager for federal control — but he’s realistic. He recognizes the impossible task his officers face in a city that refuses to let them do their job. “If it’s not sufficient, then we need help,” he said. And that help may now be coming — not from Portland’s mayor or its council chambers, but from Washington.
