US President Donald Trump is reportedly sending more federal troops to crush protest against police brutality and racial injustice in Portland, Oregon.
The Department of Homeland Security is considering to deploy 50 other US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents to Portland on top of the 100 deputy marshals sent on Thursday, The Washington Post reported Monday, citing an internal Marshals Service email.
“I am again in need of your help,” wrote Marshal Deputy Director Derrick Driscol. “At this time we are unsure how long this assistance will continue.”
Federal law enforcement officials have reportedly voiced concerns over the intensifying protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an African American, killed by a white police officer in Minnesota.
With federal agents failing to silence the protests, turmoil is spreading to other cities across the United States.
The US president appears to be sending highly militarized forces with no known training in crowd control to provoke the protesters further.
Agents in unmarked camouflage uniform and gas masks are meanwhile facing protesters, the majority of whom are reportedly staging a peaceful demonstration.