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President Donald Trump has threatened to send more federal law enforcement officers to major U.S. cities to control the ongoing protests.
Trump on Monday criticized several cities led by “liberal Democrats,” including Chicago and New York, saying their leaders were afraid to act.
He said officers sent to Oregon had done a “fantastic job” to restore order amid days of protests in Portland.
Local authorities say federal officials are making matters worse.
State leaders have demanded that Trump remove Portland staff, accusing him of escalating the situation as a political stunt in an election year.
Trump’s crackdown on Portland protests explained
Does Trump have the right to send federal forces?
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump reiterated his call for law and order.
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“We are sending the police,” he told reporters. “We cannot allow this to happen to cities.”
Specifically, he named New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore and Oakland when discussing problems with violence.
“We are not going to allow this to happen in our country, all run by liberal Democrats.”
Trump also praised the controversial federal police efforts in Portland. The city has seen continuous protests against police brutality in the city since the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in Minnesota in May.
Trump deployed staff to the West Coast city of the United States two weeks ago to calm civil unrest.
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A group of mothers seen standing between protesters and federal officials in Portland
Some officers have used unbranded cars and used military-style camouflage on the streets, prompting condemnation from Democrats and activists. Last week, tensions between protesters and these officers escalated, with local leaders calling on federal staff to leave the city.
Trump said the Oregon governor, Portland mayor and other state lawmakers were afraid of “anarchists.”
“They are afraid of these people,” he said. “That’s the reason why they don’t want us to help them.”
He added: “[Federal officers] They’ve been there for three days and they’ve really done a fantastic job in no time, no problem. They grab a lot of people and imprison leaders. These are anarchists. “
The officers are part of a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unit made up of people from the US Marshals and Customs and Border Protection Service.
They have been deployed under an executive order protecting the statues, signed by Trump last month. That order allows federal officers to be deployed without the permission of the individual states of the United States.
DHS also plans to deploy about 150 officers to Chicago this week, the Chicago Tribune reported Monday. The agents are reportedly helping other federal law enforcement officers and the Chicago police fight crime.
The president has long accused Chicago leaders of failing to control violent crime in Illinois city, where police last weekend said 64 people were shot, 11 fatally.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot had previously said she was concerned about Trump deploying federal officials to the city. She said she had spoken to the Portland mayor on Sunday “to get an idea of what happened there.”
“We don’t need federal agents without any insignia that take people off the streets and hold them, I think, illegally,” Lightfoot said.
Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said there were “dozens, if not hundreds of federal troops” in the city, adding: “His presence here is actually causing more violence and more vandalism.”
“They are not wanted here. We have not asked for them here. In fact, we want them to leave,” he said.
The Oregon attorney general has filed a lawsuit against the federal government for allegedly illegally arresting protesters and violating their constitutional rights to assembly and due process.
