Federal forces began using tear gas and taking protestors into custody in Portland, Oregon, last week in an effort to crack down on protests against police brutality.
But despite national backlash over the force that’s being used, officials with the Department of Homeland Security said Monday that they’re not backing down and will not apologize.
“DHS is not going to back down from our responsibilities. We are not escalating, we are protecting,” Chad Wolf, acting secretary of Homeland Security, told Fox News Monday.“We’re not going to apologize for it. We’re going to do it professionally and do it correctly.”
And Donald Trump is supporting the move, telling reporters Monday that he would send even more federal agents to cities with “liberal Democrats” as mayors, including Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore, and Oakland.
“We’re sending law enforcement,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We can’t let this happen to the cities.”
“They grab a lot of people and jail the leaders. These are anarchists,” Trump added.
This all comes after state officials in Oregon, and members of Congress called for Trump to remove the Department of Homeland Security forces after videos showed violent arrests.
“Not only do I believe he is breaking the law, but he is also endangering the lives of Portlanders,” Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a tweet.
