When the Trump administration deployed National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, to crack down on protests outside a federal immigration facility, the AP sought to determine whether the rhetoric matched the reality.
That question sparked a multi-state reporting effort that examined arrests in four cities where federal troops were deployed — or where deployment was attempted. The administration had cited a rise in assaults on federal officers and promised serious legal consequences.
The AP team painstakingly collected data on more than 160 protest-related cases. They found that of the 100 people initially charged with felony assault, more than half had their charges downgraded or dismissed. Another 40% of cases were never charged as felonies at all. All five defendants who went to trial were acquitted.
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