Senator Accuses Trump Administration of Faking Riots
In response to escalating protests against immigration enforcement in the U.S., a Democratic senator has alleged that the Trump administration is fabricating these riots to push an authoritarian agenda.
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley made these comments on Wednesday while addressing reporters at the U.S. Capitol. This comes as the government intensifies its law enforcement activities to protect ICE officers and their facilities that have come under attack from demonstrators.
“This behavior is unacceptable and fundamentally wrong—just plain un-American,” Merkley expressed. “It’s a clear example of authoritarianism,” he added, indicating that this is the first time in his lifetime that he believes the federal government has manufactured a situation to invoke the Insurrection Act.
According to CNN’s Manu Raju, Merkley highlighted local reports suggesting that federal law enforcement officials escalated their strategies to provoke protesters in Portland. This occurred shortly after a judge barred the president from deploying 200 National Guard troops to the area.
On Saturday night, at around 8 p.m., officials reportedly pushed back protesters from the entrance of the ICE facility and drove them into surrounding streets. Tear gas and other chemical agents were then deployed against the protesters before law enforcement retreated back into the compound.
Merkley also reacted to news that President Trump plans to mobilize the California National Guard to Portland, accusing him of attempting to incite conflict. “Despite the court’s ruling against federalizing the Oregon National Guard, which found that there is no ‘invasion’ or ‘insurrection’ in Portland, President Trump continues to incite violence by calling in the California National Guard,” he stated on his Facebook account.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut criticized the Trump administration for attempting to circumvent her temporary restraining order that blocked National Guard deployment to Portland, questioning how bringing in federal forces from California could possibly comply with her ruling.
Governor Gavin Newsom of California, also a Democrat, previously made similar accusations when Trump ordered National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles during violent protests against ICE in June. “The federal government is using its military against the people. This is unprecedented and threatens the very foundations of our democracy,” Newsom remarked.
In the end, many troops were withdrawn in response to concerns about security in Los Angeles.
The White House was contacted for a statement but had not responded at the time of this report.
Judge Karin Immergut was appointed by Trump.
