Trump announces a 'surge' of federal agents to US cities, including Chicago and Albuquerque

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• President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the Justice Department will allocate $61 million and send federal law enforcement officials into several US cities to crack down on violent crime.
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• The DOJ will "surge" federal law enforcement officials to Chicago and they will "vigorously charge federal crimes," Trump said.
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• He also said he sent federal agents to Kansas City and will soon deploy agents to Albuquerque, New Mexico to restore order.
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• Both Trump and Attorney General William Barr have, without evidence, linked a recent rise in violent crime to demonstrations against police brutality.
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• The president's announcement came as civil rights advocates and local officials sound the alarm over the appearance of unmarked federal agents in Portland who have been seen pulling people off the streets.
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President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the Justice Department will send federal law enforcement officials into more US cities as civil unrest continues unfolding in the wake of the Memorial Day death of George Floyd.

Trump said the Justice Department will "surge" federal law enforcement officials to Chicago and that they will "vigorously charge federal crimes." The president also said he sent federal agents to Kansas City and will soon deploy agents to Albuquerque, New Mexico as well.

Trump announced that the DOJ will also allocate $61 million in grants to send more police officers to US cities as part of a mission dubbed Operation Legend. The president said Operation Legend is meant to "answer the pleas of those crying for justice and crying for help" across the country.

Attorney General William Barr echoed Trump and said the initiative is meant "to combat rising violent crime in a number of our cities." He also linked the recent uptick in violent crime to anti-racism protests. But neither Barr nor the president pointed to any evidence that the protests are responsible for the increase in crime.

Wednesday's announcement marks a dramatic escalation of the federal government's crackdown on largely peaceful demonstrations following Floyd's death, and local officials also expressed alarm over the development.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham tweeted that she and the state's attorney general will "actively monitor for potential civil rights violations if and when the federal government sends officers to our state."

"We would welcome a genuine conversation about community public safety work and fighting violent crime," she added. "I hope that is the case."

"If the Trump administration wishes to antagonize New Mexicans and Americans with authoritarian, unnecessary and unaccountable military-style 'crackdowns,' they have no business whatsoever in New Mexico," Lujan Grisham said.

Over the last several days, the president has faced backlash over the sudden appearance of federal agents in Portland, Oregon. The officials have been seen wearing uniforms without identifying insignia and driving unmarked vans while pulling people off the streets.

Politico reported Wednesday that the 114 federal agents in the city appear to be part of a "Rapid Deployment Force" from the Department of Homeland Security.

Over the weekend, Oregon attorney general Ellen Rosenblum announced that her state was suing the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and other federal agencies to "stop the federal police from secretly stopping and forcibly grabbing Oregonians off our streets."

And Oregon Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden described the federal agents in Portland as a paramilitary force.

"First, they are deploying paramilitary forces with no identification indicating who they are or who they work for. Second, these agents are snatching people off the street with no underlying justification. Both of these acts are profound offenses against Americans," Merkley said last week, while calling for the agents to be "immediately" withdrawn.