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A Portland police commander testified Wednesday that federal forces deployed by President Donald Trump escalated tensions during protests outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building, intensifying violence rather than curbing it.

Portland Police Bureau Cmdr. Franz Schoening delivered the testimony during a federal bench trial examining whether Trump had legal grounds to deploy the National Guard to Portland – an action city officials argue was unnecessary and inflammatory.

Schoening described instances in which federal agents fired tear gas at who he called nonviolent demonstrators, saying the actions were “startling.” The ICE facility had been a focal point of protests since June.

He said that state and federal law prohi

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