President Donald Trump said he has directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide “all necessary troops” to protect Portland and federal immigration facilities, citing threats from “Antifa and other domestic terrorists.” The statement was posted on the president’s Truth Social, where he also said he is authorizing “full force, if necessary.”
Local officials urged calm as federal assets were reported near a Portland ICE facility. In a Friday night news release, the City of Portland) asked residents to avoid confrontation and “not take the bait,” emphasizing peaceful responses and community safety .
Background: Portland’s been ground zero for clashes between federal forces and local folks ever since the 2020 protests kicked off after George Floyd was killed. Back during Trump’s first go-around, they sent in federal agents, which sparked fights with demonstrators and drew a lot of heat from city leaders. Elana Pirtle-Guiney, who heads the City Council, stressed that the cops on the ground are handling things just fine. “Our local officers are doing solid work,” she told in a press conference on Friday. “Our local law enforcement officers are doing a great job,” she said Friday. “We are a strong community and we have community members who are scared.” Rep. Maxine Dexter cautioned against handing federal agents any excuse to ramp things up, and she pleaded with everyone not to wreck the city amid all this strain.
What’s next: Details about the scope, timeline and specific objectives of the deployment remain unclear. Neither Department of War nor Department of Homeland Security were immediately available to respond.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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