Federal officers occupying the city of Portland, Oregon will be leaving the state by Thursday at the latest, Gov. Kate Brown announced Wednesday morning.
“After my discussions with VP Pence and others, the federal government has agreed to withdraw federal officers from Portland. They have acted as an occupying force & brought violence. Starting tomorrow, all Customs and Border Protection & ICE officers will leave downtown Portland,” she said on Twitter.
Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf confirmed the news, saying in a statement that federal officers will be replaced with Oregon State Police, local CBS affiliate KION-6 reports.
The news comes after reports that Mayor Ted Wheeler was also in discussions with the White House to have troops removed. Other reports on Tuesday said more officers were being deployed.
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Governor Brown’s and Wolf’s announcements are in direct contradiction with President Trump, who said troops were not withdrawing in comments made outside the White House on Wednesday.
“We’re hearing all sorts of reports about us leaving. We’re not leaving until they secure their city. We told the governor, we told the mayor: secure your city. If they don’t secure their city soon, we have no choice, we will have to go in there and clean it out,” he said.
The federal presence in the Portland has further inflamed the protests, with crowds only growing larger as they continue into the second month of demonstrations.
Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets for a 61st straight night of protests against police, systemic racism, and other causes Tuesday evening amid reports that federal officers could soon leave the city if local authorities step up enforcement.
By late Tuesday night, at least 1,000 people had gathered near the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse and Justice Center.
