President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to send more military-garbed law enforcement into U.S. cities to quell anti-racism protests, a move he called necessary security action and critics labelled an election year political stunt.
After the Department of Homeland Security deployed scores of Border Patrol police and federal marshals — many in combat fatigues — to Portland, Oregon last week, Mr. Trump said he could do so in other Democrat-led cities.
According to reports, DHS was preparing to send 150 paramilitary personnel to Chicago after police there clashed with demonstrators seeking to tear down a statue of Christopher Columbus. Separately, 63 people were shot and 12 killed over the weekend in ongoing gun violence, according to reports.
“We’re looking at Chicago, too. We’re looking at New York,” Trump told reporters.
“Look at what’s going on. All run by Democrats, all run by very liberal Democrats, all run really by radical left. We can’t let this happen to the city.”
“I’m going to do something, that I can tell you, because we’re not going to leave New York and Chicago and Philadelphia, Detroit and Baltimore,” he said.
In a statement, DHS said it “does not comment on any allegedly leaked operations.”
Mr. Trump’s decision to have federal law enforcement authorities intervene in local protests has sparked anger and legal questions. Since African-American man George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, sparking nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.
