United States President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, authorising “full force, if necessary,” despite objections from local and state officials who insist he has been misinformed about the scale of protests outside a federal immigration office.
Trump said the move was to protect “war ravaged Portland,” alleging that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities were “under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic terrorists.”
Officials in Portland strongly rejected his characterization of events.
“There is no insurrection. There is no threat to national security and there is no need for military troops in our major city,” said Oregon’s Democratic governor, Tina Kotek.
The president made the announcement on social media, repeating his claim that troops were needed “to protect war ravaged Portland” and to safeguard ICE facilities he described as “under siege by antifascists and other domestic terrorists.”
Governor Kotek again dismissed Trump’s remarks. “In my conversations directly with President Trump and secretary [of homeland security, Kristi] Noem, I have been abundantly clear that Portland and the state of Oregon believe in the rule of law and can manage our own local public safety needs,” she said at a news conference in Portland on Saturday.
Source:Africa Publicity
