United States : The mayors of six United States cities appealed on Monday to Congress to make it illegal for the federal government to deploy militarised federal agents to cities that do not want them, even as the administration of President Donald Trump is considering sending more of them to Portland, Oregon.
“This administration’s egregious use of federal force on cities over the objections of local authorities should never happen,” the mayors of Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Kansas City, Albuquerque and Washington, DC wrote to leaders of the US House of Representatives and Senate.
The Trump administration is sending at least 100 additional federal officers to Portland, Oregon, the Washington Post reported on Monday, as confrontations between anti-racism protesters and federal authorities have intensified.
US agents repeatedly fired what appeared to be tear gas, flash bangs and pepper balls at protesters outside the federal courthouse in downtown in Portland in the early hours of Monday.
Some protesters had climbed over the fence surrounding the courthouse, while others shot fireworks, banged on the fence and projected lights on the building.
Trump said Monday on Twitter that the federal properties in Portland “wouldn’t last a day” without the presence of the federal agents.
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) decided last week to send 100 deputy marshals to fortify authorities guarding the federal courthouse in downtown Portland, the Post said, citing an internal email.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is considering sending 50 additional Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel to the city, the Washington Post and the Associated Press news agency reported.
The plan has not been finalised, and it is not clear whether the officers would be replacing the officers on the ground, the AP said.
The USMS, CBP and DHS were all not immediately available for comment to confirm the report.
Portland has seen protests nightly since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on May 25. Protesters want police reform, among other demands for change.
The demonstrations have focused on a federal courthouse, where agents have deployed tear gas to force thousands of demonstrators from crowding around the building.
