President Donald Trump’s federal callup of National Guard troops to Portland marks “one of the most significant infringements on state sovereignty” in Oregon and California’s history and must be halted, Oregon Senior Assistant Attorney General Scott P. Kennedy argued in court Friday.

The federal government has “ample, untapped” resources to secure the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland amid nightly protests marked by sporadic violence, he said.

Without minimizing or condoning the violence or offensive language and threats made outside the ICE building, Kennedy said “none of these incidents suggest there’s a rebellion or inability to execute the laws. Unfortunately, crimes do occur and that’s what law enforcement is here to respond to.”

U.S. Justice Departmen

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