Oct. 4 (UPI) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly considered deploying the 82nd Airborne Division, one of the Army’s most elite combat units, to Portland, Oregon, as protests and clashes continued outside the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, according to reports by The Minnesota Star Tribune and The Guardian.
The revelation comes amid growing scrutiny of the Trump administration’s response to renewed unrest in Portland, where demonstrations involving Antifa-affiliated groups and other activists have turned violent in recent weeks. The Star Tribune obtained images of text messages that allegedly show Deputy Homeland Security Investigations Adviser Anthony Salisbury discussing, in a “crowded, public space,” the possible use of the paratrooper unit to “restore order” in Oregon’s largest city.
Instead of sending the airborne division, the administration opted to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, citing escalating violence and threats against federal law enforcement…