Oregon Governor Kate Brown said federal agents would stop patrolling the streets of Portland and completely withdraw from the city, leaving only Federal Protection Service and US Marshals inside the federal courthouse, USA Today reports.
One day after President Trump, Attorney General William Barr and House Judiciary Committee republicans touted the presence of federal agents as necessary to quell violence in the city, federal officials seem to have done a one-eighty on their position regarding the deployment.
Local and state officials have cited the presence and aggressive tactics of camouflage-clad federal agents as inciting larger and more intense protests, as well as stoking violence in the city, which has been the scene of more than 50 consecutive nights of protest.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and Customs and Border Protection agents will be removed from the city, Brown announced. FPS and Marshals will be restricted to protecting the inside of the federal courthouse, as was their duty prior to Trump’s directive.
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