Kash Patel visits Chicago while Kristi Noem heads to Portland amid National Guard deployment

Chicago and Portland have emerged as flashpoints in the Trump administration’s effort to deploy federal forces amid growing tensions
PUBLISHED OCT 8, 2025
FBI Chief Kash Patel made a stop in Chicago, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem traveled to Portland on Tuesday, October 7, amid Donald Trump’s troop deployment efforts (Getty Images)
FBI Chief Kash Patel made a stop in Chicago, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem traveled to Portland on Tuesday, October 7, amid Donald Trump’s troop deployment efforts (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: FBI Director Kash Patel visited Chicago and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem went to Portland on Tuesday, October 7. 

These cities have become flashpoints in the administration’s effort to deploy federal forces amid rising tensions over immigration and protest crackdowns. 



 

Kash Patel’s Chicago visit highlights federal focus on violent crime

Kash Patel was in Chicago for just over three hours before returning to Washington, DC. His visit came as the Trump administration seeks to increase federal presence in the city to tackle violent crime and illegal immigration.

While Patel did not hold a public event, he confirmed his trip on X (formerly Twitter), posting that the FBI would “continue to crush violent crime” in Chicago.

The visit coincided with heightened scrutiny of the administration’s decision to deploy National Guard troops to the state, a move Illinois officials have challenged in court.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testifies before the House Appropriations Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 06, 2025 in Washington, DC. Tasked with the Trump Administration's effort to deport millions of undocumented migrants from the United States, Noem testified before the Homeland Security Subcommittee about her department's FY 2026 budget request. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testifies before the House Appropriations Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 6, 2025, in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Kristi Noem visits Portland amid protests, meets with Oregon governor

On the West Coast, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, Oregon, which has been a focal point for ongoing protests.

Speaking to CNN affiliate KGW, Noem said she hoped “to have peace and secure some partnerships that will keep our officers safe.”

Asked whether she intended to engage with Portland residents, Noem defended the administration’s actions, stating, “We believe the president has the right to keep every single citizen safe in this country.”

New Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel speaks after he was sworn in during a ceremony in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on February 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Patel was confirmed by the Senate 51-49, with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) the only Republicans voting to oppose him. Patel has been a hard-line critic of the FBI, the nation’s most powerful law enforcement agency. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
New Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel speaks after he was sworn in during a ceremony in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on February 21, 2025, in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Her visit followed days of demonstrations and a legal battle over National Guard deployments opposed by Oregon’s Democratic leadership. Noem also met with Governor Tina Kotek, describing their conversation as “straightforward.”

Kotek told CNN that she urged Noem to ensure federal officers "respect protestors’ rights and comply with local restrictions on tear gas use. She needs to see what the reality is here.” She rejected portrayals of Portland as a “war zone.”



 

California joins Illinois in legal challenge against Trump's troop deployments

Citing sources, various media outlets reported that the National Guard has reached Illinois. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom and state officials filed a brief on Tuesday backing Illinois’ lawsuit against the Trump administration’s troop deployment orders.

The filing warned that Illinois risked the “same irreparable injuries” California suffered earlier in the year when 2000 National Guardsmen were sent to Los Angeles to suppress protests following immigration raids.

California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference at Raleigh Studios unveiling a vast expansion of California’s Film and Television Credit Program on October 27, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a proposal which would expand the program to $750 million annually, a major increase from the $330 million currently allocated, amid sluggish film and TV productions in Hollywood and across California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference at Raleigh Studios, unveiling a vast expansion of California’s Film and Television Credit Program on October 27, 2024, in Los Angeles, California (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

“Rather than quelling civil unrest, the presence of military troops on the streets of Los Angeles only inflamed protests further,” the filing said, calling Trump’s use of troops “purposefully inflammatory.”

Newsom argued that the move had escalated tensions rather than restoring order.

“Whether the troops number in handfuls, hundreds, or thousands, their presence inflames tensions in communities when residents perceive an unwanted, militarized police force,” the brief said.

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