President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of United States troops to “war ravaged” Portland, Oregon, authorizing the use of “full force” if needed.
It is unknown if the President was referring to the National Guard or full-time United States Military personnel.
Trump said he was “directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect war-ravaged Portland”.
He claimed that the move would help protect “any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” adding on Truth Social: “I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”
Saturday’s announcement marks the further expansion of the deployment of troops in American cities, amid a wider crackdown by the Trump administration on illegal immigration.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland has been targeted by protesters for several weeks, with multiple violent attacks occurring.
On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that demonstrators had “repeatedly attacked and laid siege to an ICE processing centre” in Portland.
Earlier this week, Trump also signed an order formally designating antifa as a domestic terrorist organisation.
