Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer thanks Trump for deploying agents to Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — U.S. Labor Secretary and former Oregon Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer has praised President Donald Trump after he announced on social media he would be sending federal troops to Portland.

The announcement came not even a day after multiple public officials – including Mayor Keith Wilson, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Rep. Maxine Dexter and others – 

held an emergency press conference when increased signs of federal presence were reported at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland.

Chavez-DeRemer, who lives in Happy Valley, had previously called on President Trump to send federal agents to Oregon during a cabinet meeting on Aug. 26.

“Thank you for what you are doing with your agents on ICE,” she said. “I hope you will come to Portland, Oregon and crack down.”

In her remarks, she also praised the President and invited him to her office to see a large banner with his face printed on it.

After Trump’s Saturday post began to circulate, Oregon leaders largely condemned the president’s tactics. But Chavez-DeRemer had another point of view, which she shared in a statement on social media:

“I’ve seen firsthand how lawlessness has transformed Portland from a beautiful place to live to a crime-ridden war zone. Thank you, @POTUS, for taking action to keep our ICE facilities protected and Make America Safe Again!”

Before becoming U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Trump, Chavez-DeRemer previously served as an Oregon representative before losing her bid for re-election to Rep. Janelle Bynum in the state’s 5th Congressional District.

Prior to that, Chavez-DeRemer served in a variety of roles in Happy Valley, as a councilor, then council president and later mayor, where she served two terms.

Oregon House GOP leader Christine Drazan of Canby also supported the move:

“The ICE facility in Portland has been subject to months of dangerously chaotic protests that have put residents and federal agents in harm’s way. The governor’s assertion that there is no national security threat and the mayor’s assertion that everything is fine is tone-deaf. It’s shameful that state and local leaders have allowed violent mobs and domestic terrorists to assault federal law enforcement, destroy property, and interfere with those seeking immigration services from obtaining assistance and case management. We need order, we need to restore safety, and Oregon’s local leaders have failed to provide it.”