WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2020) Acting US Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said in a press conference that federal law enforcement officers have arrested 43 participants in violence and destruction of property in Portland, Oregon, since Independence Day.
"The number I have since July 4, which is really when you saw an increased [federal] presence there in Portland, has been 43 federal arrests," Wolf told reporters on Tuesday.
Wolf described the participating individuals as "violent anarchists" and estimated there are up 600 such individuals on any given night.
He said demonstrations in Portland are well organized and rioters are intent on damaging federal courthouses and personnel.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into identifying who is organizing and supporting the acts of violence and destruction in Portland, Wolf said.
Portland has lost millions in revenue because downtown businesses have been forced to close amid the violence, Wolf added.
US President Donald Trump sent federal forces to Portland to help maintain law and order, and to protect a federal courthouse, the focus of continuing protests over several weeks.
The deployment has drawn criticism after reports emerged that federal officers, without badges or name tags, have detained protesters - and rioters - in an extrajudicial manner.
Local leaders, including many state legislators, have called on the Trump administration to withdraw the federal law enforcement officers from Portland.
