Oregon Governor says Federal Law Enforcement Agrees to ‘Phased Withdrawal’ from Portland, DHS says They’re Not Leaving Yet

Oregon Governor Kate Brown released a statement today revealing “the federal government has agreed to a phased withdrawal of federal officers that have been deployed [to Portland]”. Governor Brown says she’s had discussions with Vice President Pence, and “the federal government has agreed to [her] demand and will withdraw these officers from Portland”.

Following the release of Governor Brown’s statement, however, Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf released a statement of his own, and additionally tweeted: “As I told the Governor yesterday, federal law enforcement will remain in Portland until the violent activity toward our federal facilities ends. We are not removing any law enforcement while our facilities and law enforcement remain under attack.”

Both parties seem to agree that Oregon State Police will take a more active role in upholding the security of the exterior of the federal courthouse in coordination with the Federal Protective Service, but appear to be on different pages on the conditions of withdrawal of federal officers in the area.