US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday agreed to a deal to defuse weeks of clashes in the US city of Portland with the withdrawal of federal forces whose presence enraged protesters, but the timing remained in dispute.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown said the forces – whose deployment was seen by many as part of Trump’s law-and-order strategy for reelection – would begin their phased pullout on Thursday.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf indicated, however, that the officers will withdraw only if there are guarantees that local police can ensure the federal courthouse will be secured.
Trump’s administration earlier in July sent the federal tactical teams, many wearing combat-like gear, to intervene in the western US city after weeks of protests against racism and police brutality left the federal courthouse and other buildings marred with graffiti and broken windows.
But their deployment only served to inflame the situation, especially following video footage of protesters being snatched off the street by federal forces and put into unmarked cars.
“After my discussions with [Vice President Mike] Pence and others, the federal government has agreed to withdraw federal officers from Portland,” Brown tweeted Wednesday.
“They have acted as an occupying force & brought violence. Starting tomorrow, all Customs and Border Protection & ICE officers will leave downtown Portland.”
Wolf said he and Brown had “agreed to a joint plan to end the violent activity in Portland directed at federal properties and law enforcement officers.”
A federal officer points a less-than-lethal weapon at a crowd of a few hundred protesters in front of the Mark O. Hatfield US Courthouse on Thursday in Portland, Oregon. State and city elected officials have called for the federal officers to leave Portland, as clashes between protesters and federal police continue to escalate. Photo: AFP
