Portland, one of the cities with the greatest Democratic presence in the United States, is again in the center of the political debate after eThe announcement of President Donald Trump to send federal troops to “restore order.”
The measure, communicated this Saturday through Truth Social, is part of what analysts consider an offensive of the president against Democratic Bastions, according to several media.
In his publication, Trump said he authorized “the use of all force, if necessary” and ordered the Defense Department to display “all the necessary troops to protect Portland, devastated by war.”
The president justified the decision claiming that the facilities of the Customs Immigration and Control Service (ICE) are “besieged by the attacks of Antifa and other national terrorists.”
The Tensions in Portland are concentrated around the ICE building, scenario of recurrent protests and clashes in which both manifesters and federal agents have been injured.
Federal Presence in Portland
The federal presence was already visible from previous days, which caused an immediate reaction from the city mayor, Keith Wilson.
“We do not ask them to come. They are here without a precedent or a clear purpose,” said Friday night, describing the arrival of armored vehicles and agents to the streets.
The sending of federal forces to Portland is not an isolated event. In June, they deployed Troops in Los Angeles; in August, in Washington DC; And in September, in Memphiswhere the arrival of 150 troops under restrictive conditions is expected: without arrests or armament unless local authorities request it.
Chicago, Baltimore, San Francisco, New Orleans and St. Louis are among the cities that could intervene soon.
All have in common that they are governed by Democrats and They present, according to Trump, “high levels of crime” that justify a federal decisive intervention.
The situation revives the debate on the limits of the presidential authority against the autonomy of state and municipal governments.
In Portland, where protests for racial justice after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 marked a turning point, the decision of President revives old tensions about the presence of federal forces in the streets.
