US President Donald Trump on 27 September ordered troops to be sent to the city of Portland, Oregon, where protests against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency are taking place. He also ordered that troops take over the protection of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities across the country.
Trump cited a request from Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem. As he wrote on the social network Truth Social, Secretary of War Pete Hagseth should send” all necessary troops “to protect facilities that are “under siege from attack” by Antifa “and other domestic terrorists.” Trump also added that troops could use “full force.”
In Portland, protests against the expulsion of migrants from the US have been taking place outside the local ICE office for months.
Earlier, Trump clashed with authorities in California over sending the National Guard to Los Angeles to quell riots. Troops were also sent to Washington, DC. Trump’s opponents point out that there is no need to send troops, state authorities can handle it on their own. Portland’s Democrat Mayor Keith Wilson has also spoken out against sending troops into the city. So far, it has not been reported that the military has actually arrived.
The actions of ICE agents in recent days have sparked a wave of protests and tensions in several major cities across the country. In Chicago, protesters gathered outside an immigration centre and ICE agents used tear gas, pepper bullets and stun grenades to disperse the crowd. The rally was peaceful, but law enforcement officials said protesters tried to block the centre’s gates and gain entry. Trump has said he is prepared to send the military to Chicago as well.
The incidents come amid a tightening of the immigration policy of President Donald Trump’s administration, which aims to deport a record number of illegal immigrants. People without criminal records are often detained, which has drawn criticism from human rights activists, Trump’s political opponents and the authorities of many cities whose mayors are Democrats.