What will the National Guard do when they get to Portland?

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Oregon National Guard is expected to arrive in Portland within the week, but one thing remains uncertain: What are they going to do when they get here?

According to the Oregon Military Department, there should be boots on the ground as early as Thursday — though military officials are now saying that timeline may be delayed.

When they do get to Portland, the National Guard will perform federal functions for 60 days. These functions include protecting federal property “where protests are occurring or likely to occur,” according to a letter sent to Gov. Tina Kotek by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Lt. Col. Stephen Bomar further clarified to KOIN 6 News that their mission is to protect federal properties and the employees working there. But he said even they do not know exactly what that will look like.

“It could be that they are out front of the ICE facility. It could be that they are patrolling in front of other federal facilities. It could be that they take all the duties and responsibilities inside the facilities to free up those personnel to walk outside,” he said. “But that’s what’s being looked at right now.”

For now, officials have spent the past few days making sure they have enough volunteers to meet the demand of 200 specified by Secretary Hegseth. They reached that number on Tuesday afternoon.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.