Memphis —
As federal authorities rack up arrests in Tennessee’s second-most populous city, local leaders in Oregon are pushing back on a White House effort to federalize 200 members of that state’s National Guard over the president’s claims of rampant crime in Portland.
The National Guard “is now in place” after President Donald Trump last week activated members of Oregon’s National Guard, he posted Wednesday afternoon on his social media platform. The Portland mayor’s press office couldn’t immediately confirm whether troops are in the city; CNN has reached out to the Portland Police Bureau, the governor’s office and the Oregon Military Department.
The moves across the two states mark the latest bid by Trump to surge federal officers or troops to Democratic-run cities, which he suggested this week could be used as a “training ground” for the nation’s military. The list already includes Washington, DC, Los Angeles and Chicago.
In Memphis, “219 officers were special deputized and our Joint Operations Center is up and running,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Tuesday.
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