Legal experts warned of a looming constitutional crisis in the US today after judges in the city of Portland in Oregon were asked to issue a restraining order against federal agents deployed to quell protests.
A lawsuit was filed by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, accusing federal agents of arresting protesters without probable cause and using excessive force, in a claim contested by the US government.
Outside the city’s federal courthouse on Wednesday night, national government agents set off explosives and fired chemicals into a crowd of hundreds, including Portland mayor Ted Wheeler, who said he was standing with protesters against the federal “occupying force.”
It comes amid growing pushback against US President Donald Trump who announced that he was also sending forces to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
But 15 Democratic mayors have signed a letter opposing the move while the Portland City Council on Wednesday banned city police from co-operating with federal agents or knowingly arresting reporters or legal observers.
Mr Trump remains defiant and appears to be positioning himself as the candidate of law and order in November’s election.
He has falsely accused his Democratic Party rival for the presidency Joe Biden as supporting moves to defund the police, one of the central demands of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a claim yesterday on behalf of journalists and legal observers who say they were targeted and attacked by Portland police while documenting demonstrations.
A lawsuit was filed by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, accusing federal agents of arresting protesters without probable cause and using excessive force, in a claim contested by the US government.
Outside the city’s federal courthouse on Wednesday night, national government agents set off explosives and fired chemicals into a crowd of hundreds, including Portland mayor Ted Wheeler, who said he was standing with protesters against the federal “occupying force.”
It comes amid growing pushback against US President Donald Trump who announced that he was also sending forces to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
But 15 Democratic mayors have signed a letter opposing the move while the Portland City Council on Wednesday banned city police from co-operating with federal agents or knowingly arresting reporters or legal observers.
Mr Trump remains defiant and appears to be positioning himself as the candidate of law and order in November’s election.
He has falsely accused his Democratic Party rival for the presidency Joe Biden as supporting moves to defund the police, one of the central demands of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a claim yesterday on behalf of journalists and legal observers who say they were targeted and attacked by Portland police while documenting demonstrations.
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