Cities Sue the Trump Administration Over Federal Agents in Portland
With fears swirling about deployments of federal officers around the election, cities are challenging past actions as illegal and unconstitutional.
Federal officers guard the rear entrance to the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse early in the morning on August 2, 2020 in Portland. A new lawsuit questions the legality of the deployment.
Photographer: Nathan Howard/Getty Images North AmericaIn the months since camouflage-clad federal agents appeared in Portland, Oregon, during racial justice protests, President Donald Trump has reiterated his commitment to send more federal agents to cities in a number of different contexts. He has pledged to send federal agents in communities “plagued by crime” and to cities “run by liberal Democrats,” and hinted that he could even deploy them to polling places around the election.
A new lawsuit filed by the cities of Oakland, California, and Portland questions the legal justification for these deployments, alleging that they are both a violation of federal law and unconstitutional.