Trump announces 'hundreds' of federal agents will be sent to Chicago and Albuquerque

Kathryn Krawczyk

July 22, 2020 at 4:59 PM·1 min read

President Trump is sending federal troops across the nation — but says it won't be another Portland-style siege.

As federal agents arrested protesters in Portland, Oregon's streets, some for seemingly no reason, Trump warned he might send more agents to other cities if their protests against racism and police brutality continued. And on Wednesday, that threat became reality, with Trump announcing he was deploying "hundreds" of federal agents to Chicago and "other cities," including Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"Murderers and violent criminals are breaking a wide range of federal laws," Trump said on Wednesday to justify his deployment of FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, DEA and ATF agents to Chicago. But Operation Legend won't be a "Portland-style deployment," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday, citing what the Trump administration told her. These forces will apparently bolster current law enforcement efforts, not patrol the streets like they have been in Portland, Lightfoot said.

When asked which "other cities" Trump would be sending troops to, he mentioned Albuquerque. The New Mexico city, which saw major protests last month, will receive two dozen federal agents and nearly $11 million to hire more police officers. Hundreds more federal agents are also on their way to Kansas City, Missouri, after several shootings in the city.