WASHINGTON — President Trump ordered the Department of War to dispatch “all necessary” troops to Portland, Oregon, to secure the city and safeguard Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, he said Saturday.
Trump also confirmed he is “authorizing Full Force, if necessary,” amid a spate of daily protests against the federal ICE detention facility in Portland that have intensified since June.
“At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” Trump declared on Truth Social.
“I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”
The president’s announcement comes on the heels of multiple high-profile attacks against ICE officers and steps announced by US Attorney General Pam Bondi to crack down on those who attack federal personnel.
Portland has long been a hotbed of Antifa activities. Rioters there have repeatedly “attacked and laid siege” to the ICE facility in Portland, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
This includes instances in which a sickos directed a laser beam into the eyes of an ICE officer, threw a smoke grenade at multiple officers, and tried to damage equipment at the facility, per the DHS.
All of this has led to an increased federal presence in Portland, which has prompted pleas from local officials for protesters to remain peaceful.
Bondi announced Friday evening that the Justice Department would deploy agents to ICE facilities across the country.
The Joint Terrorism Task Forces will investigate “domestic terrorism,” and seek the “most serious available charges against all participants in these criminal mobs,” the AG wrote on X.
“I have witnessed the continued onslaught of violence perpetrated against ICE officers across our country,” Bondi posted. “The Department of Justice will not stand idly by in the face of such lawlessness.”
“The rule of law will prevail.”
White House chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, an immigration hawk, hailed the crackdown, declaring Friday that “this campaign of terrorism will be brought down.”
“We are witnessing domestic terrorist sedition against the federal government,” Miller later added. “All necessary resources will be utilized.”
Over recent weeks, there have been a handful of high-profile attacks against ICE.
On Friday, a grand jury indicted three women for following an ICE agent back to their home and livestreaming the address on Instagram.
Two days earlier, a crazed sniper opened fire on an ICE facility in Texas, shooting at least three migrants. One of the bullets found at the scene had the phrase “anti ICE” scrawled on it.
Trump has also deployed the National Guard to Washington, DC and Memphis as part of an effort to crack down on crime. Earlier this year, he briefly sent the National Guard to Los Angeles to address concerns about rioting.
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