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Less than a day after Oregon’s governor claimed federal agents would leave Portland and let local officials handle Black Lives Matter protesters, President Donald Trump said they are going nowhere until things are under control.
In a Thursday morning tweet, Trump said Governor Kate Brown “isn’t doing her job” and insisted that protesters must be cleared out and “in some cases” arrested. “If she can’t do it, the Federal Government will do it for her. We will not be leaving until there is safety!” he wrote.
Kate Brown, Governor of Oregon, isn’t doing her job. She must clear out, and in some cases arrest, the Anarchists & Agitators in Portland. If she can’t do it, the Federal Government will do it for her. We will not be leaving until there is safety!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020
The tweet was posted less than a day after Brown announced she had reached an agreement with the Trump administration that would see a phased withdrawal of federal agents — who were originally deployed after demonstrators attempted to burn down a courthouse — from Portland, which has seen ongoing Black Lives Matter protests turn to rioting and violence.
In her announcement, Brown called the Homeland Security agents an “occupying force” and blamed them for bringing “violence” to the city.
After my discussions with VP Pence and others, the federal government has agreed to withdraw federal officers from Portland. They have acted as an occupying force & brought violence. Starting tomorrow, all Customs and Border Protection & ICE officers will leave downtown Portland.
— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) July 29, 2020
It appears Brown was premature in her announcement, however, as Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf took to Twitter to clarify that until the “violent activity” in the city ends, federal authorities will remain in place. Trump now appears to have confirmed that the feds are staying put until further notice.
As I told the Governor yesterday, federal law enforcement will remain in Portland until the violent activity toward our federal facilities ends. We are not removing any law enforcement while our facilities and law enforcement remain under attack.
— Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) July 29, 2020
Wolf added that the federal government will only leave the area when they are assured that there is no threat to federal property or law enforcement officers from protesters, who have taken to the streets of Portland for two months now.
Part of the agreement to get the “occupying force” out of Brown’s state, according to a statement from Wolf, would involve having state troopers protect federal buildings from potential vandalism or destruction.
Brown did not directly mention this part of the deal in her tweets, but said local police officers would still be present in downtown Portland to “protect Oregonians’ right to free speech and keep the peace.”
