Trump announced on 27th Sept. that he will deploy troops to Portland, Oregon, “authorizing Full Force, if necessary” to deal with “domestic terrorists” as he widens his contentious deployments to more American cities.
He made the announcement on social media, stating that he was instructing the Department of Defense to “provide all necessary Troops to protect war-ravaged Portland”.
Trump explained the move was to safeguard US Immigration and Customs Enforcement centers, which he termed as “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists”.
The White House had not provided, at the time, a request for specifics regarding Trump’s announcement, including when the troops would deploy and which troops would be deployed. He had threatened to deploy the National Guard to Chicago before, and didn’t.
The deployment to Memphis, Tennessee, will consist of only some 150 troops, a fraction of the number of troops dispatched to the District of Columbia for Trump’s crackdown or to Los Angeles to quell immigration protests.
Pentagon officials did not provide immediate information upon request.
Since the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, the Republican president has ramped up his bid to take on what he refers to as the “radical left”, which he accuses of inflicting political violence on the country.
He sent the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles this summer, as part of his law enforcement takeover of the nation’s capital.
The Portland ICE facility has itself been the site of frequent protests, sometimes spilling into violent skirmishes. Some federal officials have been attacked, and several protesters have been charged with assault. When protesters set up a guillotine this month, the Department of Homeland Security called it “unhinged behavior.”
Trump, responding Thursday in the Oval Office, hinted that some sort of operation was planned.
“We’re going to get out there and we’re going to do a pretty big number on those people in Portland,” he said, describing them as “professional agitators and anarchists”.
Earlier in September, Trump had described living in Portland as “like living in hell” and said he was considering sending in federal troops, as he has recently threatened to do to combat crime in other cities, including Chicago and Baltimore.
“‘Along with other mayors nationwide, I have not sought – and do not require’ federal intervention,” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said in a statement following Trump’s threat. Wilson indicated his city had preserved freedom of expression while “addressing occasional violence and property destruction.”.
In Tennessee, Memphis has prepared for the arrival of National Guard personnel, and Republican Governor Bill Lee, who assisted in coordinating the operation, stated on Friday that they will be included in a surge of resources to combat crime in the city.
