Trump designates New York, Portland and Seattle 'anarchist jurisdictions'

The Trump administration has designated three US cities, including New York, "anarchist jurisdictions" and threatened to cut off funding for indulging of race equality protests.

The Department of Justice said New York, Seattle and Portland have “permitted violence and destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract criminal activities," in a statement released on Monday.

The highly unusual move comes after President Donald Trump, who has made law and order a central plank of his re-election campaign, issued a memo ordering financial retribution against cities that have been slashing their police budgets during crime waves, or tolerating violent protests sparked by the May killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police.

The president warned the cities’ Democrat mayors on September 2 that he was “putting them on notice”: “My Administration will do everything in its power to prevent weak mayors and lawless cities from taking Federal dollars while they let anarchists harm people, burn buildings, and ruin lives and businesses,” he tweeted.

The order gives the director of the Office of Management and Budget 30 days to issue guidance to federal agencies on restricting eligibility for federal grants for the cities on the Justice Department’s list.

The department criticised New York City Council’s decision to cut $1billion (£750m) from the police budget at a time when the city faced “increased unrest, gun violence, and property damage.”

It quoted a 170 per cent increase in the number of shootings this summer compared to 2019.

It also criticised the decision by a number of New York City boroughs not to prosecute protest-related charges.

Portland, Oregon, has seen largely peaceful but sometimes violent demonstrations in the wake of black man George Floyd’s shooting.

The department cited Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s rejection of the administration’s offer of federal troops to stop the "violent protests”.

“When state and local leaders impede their own law enforcement officers and agencies from doing their jobs, it endangers innocent citizens who deserve to be protected, including those who are trying to peacefully assemble and protest,” Bill Barr, US Attorney General, said in a statement.

“We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance,’’ Mr Barr said.“It is my hope that the cities identified by the Department of Justice today will reverse course and become serious about performing the basic function of government and start protecting their own citizens.”

The order does not specify the federal grants that the White House wants to put on hold. Federal funds make up some 7.5 per cent of New York City’s total revenue.

Reacting to the move, Bill de Blasio, the city’s mayor, said on Monday: "It's part of his campaign strategy. It makes no sense. It's insulting to the people of New York City and it's unconstitutional."

Andrew Cuomo, the state's governor, called Mr Trump a "bully", adding:  "The president of the United States can’t interfere with federal funding for cities and states just cause he feels like it. We have laws in this country."

Mr Trump would face a battle in court should funding be withdrawn.

A federal appeals court earlier this year upheld the president’s attempt to take funding from some so-called “sanctuary cities’’ - cities including New York which have tried to protect undocumented workers from federal immigration officials - however three other appeals courts ruled against him.

“This is a campaign document,” a former Office of Management and Budget official told the Washington Post. “Any actual restriction on funding in court will immediately be sued and almost certainly struck down.”

Mr Trump has presented himself as a "tough on crime" leader as the November 3 election looms. The president has placed the blame for crime mostly on local Democratic leaders and argued that reelecting him will protect the rest of the country from the turmoil of US cities.

An ABC News/Ipsos poll released this month, however, found that fully 55 per cent of all Americans believe Mr Trump’s reaction to the protests “makes the situation worse.”

The same poll found 56 per cent believe Joe Biden, Democratic presidential nominee, “would do a better job keeping me and my family safe” and nearly 60 per cent said Mr Biden “would do a better job reducing violence in the country.”