'Very Frightening:’ Opposition Grows to US Agents in Cities

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump¹ is facing growing criticism for sending federal agents to Portland, Oregon to control violent protests.

Mass demonstrations² across the country started in May after the death of George Floyd, a black man, at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Trump, a Republican, says he plans to send federal agents to control protests in other Democratic-led cities. But the arrival of federal agents has not calmed the protests in Portland. Instead, crowd sizes have increased.

The Trump administration faces legal action from several cities and groups. The lawsuits⁴ question the administration's right to use such policing powers in cities.

One case claims federal agents are violating protesters' 10th Amendment⁵ rights by carrying out police activities that should be the responsibility of local and state governments. That case was brought by the Portland-based Western States Center, which helps organize and support the rights of communities of color and low-income people.

Oregon's attorney general has also taken legal action, asking a judge to block federal agents' actions. The state argued that agents have arrested people on the street with no probable cause. The arrests, the state says, have taken place far from a federal courthouse building in the city that has been a target of destruction.

There have also been reports of protesters in Portland being arrested and taken away in unmarked cars, without a clear reason.

"It is time for the Trump troops to go home and focus their attention on other activities," Oregon's Democratic Governor Kate Brown told American broadcaster MSNBC.

Federal officials, however, said state and local officials had not worked with them to stop the damage and violence against federal officers and the courthouse.

The acting⁶ Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, told reporters Tuesday, "At the end of the day, we have to protect the federal property and the law enforcement officers."

Federal forces were deployed⁷ to Portland in early July. Tensions there have grown since their arrival. A protester was hospitalized this month with critical injuries after a U.S. Marshals Service officer struck him in the head with a round of non-deadly ammunition⁸.

Anger increased again over the weekend after video surfaced of a federal agent hitting a U.S. Navy veteran repeatedly with a baton⁹ while another agent sprayed him in the face with pepper spray.

Crowds in Portland have recently numbered fewer than 100 people. But they grew to more than 1,000 over the weekend.

Among the protesters was Mardy Widman. For weeks, she has watched demonstrations against racial injustice¹⁰ happen in her hometown. But she stayed away because, at the age of 79, she feared getting the coronavirus.

When Trump sent federal officers to Portland, that changed. Wearing a face covering, Widman took to the street Monday with other locals.

"It's like a dictatorship," said Widman, a grandmother of five. She held a sign that read: "Grammy says: Please feds, leave Portland."

Wolf defended the federal action, saying the Department of Homeland Security has the right to protect government property and detain people suspected of threatening agents or damaging such property.

Portland police have said some protesters lit fires in the street and tried several times to also set them at the front of the courthouse.

Wolf said protesters have attacked agents with fireworks, bottles and other weapons and "yet the city of Portland takes little to no action." He said federal agencies have made 43 arrests since the July 4 holiday. But he disputed reports that unidentified agents are making the arrests. He said they have the word "police" on their clothes.

The Trump administration is reportedly also planning to send about 150 Homeland Security Investigations¹¹ agents to Chicago, Illinois, to help local law enforcement deal with a rise in crime. That information came from an official with direct knowledge of the plans, the Associated Press reported. The official did not want to be named because they were not permitted to speak publicly about the plan.

The Democratic leaders of Illinois and Chicago have criticized the planned federal deployment¹² there. On Tuesday, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker called the idea a "wrongheaded move."

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, "I've been very clear that we welcome actual partnership¹³. But we do not welcome dictatorship."

I'm Dorothy Gundy.

Words in This Story

lawsuit³ - n. a process by which a court of law makes a decision to end a disagreement between people or organizations

low-income - adj. of or relating to earning a smaller amount of money than the average

attorney general - n. the chief lawyer of a country or state who represents the government in legal matters

focus - v. to cause (something, such as attention) to be directed at something specific — + on

baton - n. a heavy stick that is carried by police officers and is used as a weapon

spray - v. to put a stream of small drops of liquid on (someone or something)

grandmother - n. the mother of your father or mother

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

3 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

4 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

5 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

8 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

9 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。

10 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

11 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

12 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

13 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。