Federal officers deploy tear gas and crowd control
munitions at demonstrators during a Black Lives Matter protest Tuesday
at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore.
Updated 4:57 p.m. ET
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
announced Wednesday that U.S. agents who were sent to protect a federal
courthouse in Portland from demonstrators will begin departing on
Thursday.
"After my discussions with VP Pence and others, the federal government has agreed to withdraw federal officers from Portland," the Democratic governor said on Twitter.
"They have acted as an occupying force & brought violence. Starting
tomorrow, all Customs and Border Protection & ICE officers will
leave downtown Portland."
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said he and Brown have
been in regular communication over the last 24 hours but added there
would still be a "robust presence" of Oregon State Police in the area
until it is clear federal properties in the city are safe.
"The
Department will continue to maintain our current, augmented federal law
enforcement personnel in Portland until we are assured that the
Hatfield Federal Courthouse and other federal properties will no longer
be attacked and that the seat of justice in Portland will remain
secure," Wolf said in a statement.
On All Things Considered on Wednesday afternoon, NPR's Ari Shapiro asked Brown how strong of a commitment she had from the federal government.
"Look,
the plan is very, very clear,"" she said. "It's certainly a phased
withdrawal, and [President] Trump's troops are leaving the city."
Without
providing details, Brown added that she has directed state officers to
use "each and every strategy to de-escalate and avoid confrontation with
protesters." However, she acknowledged that state police will intervene
if protesters seek to damage federal property.
Trump, who has
used a law-and-order mantra in his reelection campaign, told reporters
at the White House earlier Wednesday that federal agents would not leave
Portland until state and local officials had "secured their city."
Oregon Public Broadcasting reported earlier that state and Portland officials were in "very serious conversations" with the Trump administration to recall the federal agents.
In recent days demonstrations in Oregon's most populous city have
turned violent, with reports of some in the crowd throwing bottles, firing mortar-style fireworks over a metal barricade and clashing with federal agents sent to protect the federal courthouse and other properties.
Federal agents have used tactics, including flash grenades, pepper spray and pepper balls as well as batons, to disperse crowds.
U.S.
agents were also deployed to Seattle to safeguard federal property
there but have since been withdrawn, according to city and state
officials.