President Donald Trump decried attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, after he deployed the National Guard to the city to quell left-wing violence.
Portland is home to Rose City Antifa, the nation’s oldest and most prominent antifa group. The group has helped lead protests and attacks against ICE agents and local facilities, further enraging Trump and pushing him to claim vindication in a Wednesday Truth Social post.
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“As I determined on September 27th, when I activated and called into service the National Guard in Oregon, conditions continue to deteriorate into lawless mayhem. Our GREAT Federal Law Enforcement Officers have not been able to enforce the Laws in Oregon. ANTIFA and the Radical Left Anarchists have been viciously attacking our Federal Law Enforcement Officers, men and women who are simply doing their job, protecting Federal Property, and enforcing Federal Immigration Laws and the Rule of Law,” Trump said.
“We will never allow MOBS to take over our streets, burn our Cities, or destroy America. The National Guard is now in place, and has been dedicated to restoring LAW AND ORDER, and ending the Chaos, Death, and Destruction! We are a Nation of LAW, and we will PREVAIL,” he added.
Federal law enforcement has been recorded as being more aggressive against antifa and other protesters, arresting and using crowd dispersal methods against groups. ICE agents and the National Guard troops have fired pepper balls at crowds, made scattered arrests, and even aimed sniper rifle lasers at people threatening journalists.
OREGON MAYORS PRESENT UNITED FRONT AGAINST TRUMP AMID NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO PORTLAND
Local authorities have denounced the deployment of 200 troops from the Oregon National Guard to protect federal facilities and the ICE center, arguing it is unnecessary.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson led a group of over a dozen Oregon mayors at a Monday press conference in denouncing the deployment for reasons ranging from alleged ineffectiveness to the possibility of stoking tensions and improving metrics in the city.