Oregon‘s Democratic Gov. Kate Brown said Wednesday that federal agents who have clashed with protesters in Portland will begin a “phased withdrawal” from Oregon’s largest city’s downtown area starting on Thursday.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said in a statement that he and Brown have been in contact over the past 24 hours and reached a joint plan to end “the violent activity in Portland directed at federal properties and law enforcement officers.”
“That plan includes the robust presence of Oregon State Police in downtown Portland,” Wolf said. “State and local law enforcement will begin securing properties and streets, especially those surrounding federal properties, that have been under nightly attack for the past two months. Oregon State Police will coordinate with Federal Protective Service (FPS) officers to ensure all federal facilities remained protected and secure.”
The Portland Police Bureau was banned from cooperating with federal law enforcement officers last week under new policies unanimously passed by City Council, The Oregonian reported.
In his statement, Wolf continued: “President Trump and this Administration have been consistent in our message throughout the violence in Portland: the violent criminal activity directed towards federal properties and law enforcement will not be tolerated, state and local leaders must step forward and police their communities, and the Department of Homeland Security will not back down from our legal duty to protect federal law enforcement officers and properties in the face of such criminal behavior.” – READ MORE
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