Trump authorises 'full force' troop deployment in Portland

President Donald Trump on Saturday authorised the deployment of troops in the northwestern US city of Portland, extending his contentious domestic use of the military to support a mass immigration crackdown.

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Teargas and smoke envelop ICE agents as people protest against the US President Donald Trump administration's immigration policies, outside an ICE detention facility in Portland, Oregon.

(REUTERS FILE)

A deployment in Portland — Oregon’s largest city — would follow similar moves by the Republican president to mobilise troops against the wishes of local Democratic leadership in Los Angeles and Washington DC.

It also comes as Trump launches an assault against left-wing activists in the wake of several deadly attacks, which the president and his allies claim are evidence of a “domestic terrorist” network.

“At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.