Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
As Portland slips further into chaos amid the seventh week of nightly protests, local and state officials have slammed the Trump administration for sending Homeland Security agents to perform crowd control and arrest what DHS Secretary Chad Wolf described last week as “lawless anarchists.”
Federal agents use crowd control munitions to disperse Black Lives Matter protesters at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on July 20, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (Noah Berger / AP)
In response to the DHS presence, Oregon’s Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum sued DHS and the Marshals Service in federal court over unidentified federal agents grabbing people off the streets of Portland “without warning or explanation, without a warrant, and without providing any way to determine who is directing this action.”
Militarized Federal Agents from a patchwork of outside agencies have begun policing Portland (in rented minivans vans) without the explicit approval of the mayor, the state, or local municipalities. This is what that looks like in practice: pic.twitter.com/losap4SsgI
— The Sparrow Project (@sparrowmedia) July 15, 2020
“The current escalation of fear and violence in downtown Portland is being driven by federal law enforcement tactics that are entirely unnecessary,” said Rosenblum in a statement.
The administration has enlisted federal agents, including the U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group and an elite U.S. Customs and Border Protection team based on the U.S.-Mexico border, to protect federal property.
But Oregon Public Broadcasting reported this week that some agents had been driving around in unmarked vans and snatching protesters from streets not near federal property, without identifying themselves.
Tensions also escalated after an officer with the Marshals Service fired a less-lethal round at a protester’s head on July 11, critically injuring him. –AP
On Monday, President Trump described the situation in Portland as “worse than Afghanistan,” adding “we’re going to have more federal law enforcement.” Moreover, there are now plans to send law enforcement personnel to some major US cities.
“We can’t let this happen to the cities,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding “The politicians out there are afraid of these people.”
Question: "There was a report out this morning that you're considering sending 175 federal troops to these cities to help local law enforcement."
President Trump: "It depends on what you're definition of 'troops' is." pic.twitter.com/3p98sj5z76
— The Hill (@thehill) July 20, 2020
Over the weekend, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (R) told Fox news that the Trump administration, AG William Barr and DHS Secretary Chad Wolf would roll out a plan this week to tamp down crime across various US cities.
“Some of the unrest that we saw, even in the last month or so, but particularly last night and in the week leading up to it in Portland, is just not acceptable when you look at communities not being safe and not upholding the rule of law,” said Meadows. “So, Attorney General Barr is weighing in on that with (DHS) Secretary Wolf and you’ll see something rolled out this week as we start to go in and make sure that the communities whether it’s Chicago, or Portland, or Milwaukee, or some place across the heartland of the country, we need to make sure their communities are safe.”
Here’s Mark Meadows making clear that part of Trump’s re-election plan is to deploy federal troops to US cities, just as he sent troops to the border just before the midterms. pic.twitter.com/pIZbEhJfOf
— Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (@wilsonhartgrove) July 20, 2020
On Sunday, House Democrats called for immediate investigations into DHS activities in Portland.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney co-signed a letter on Sunday condemning the recent law enforcement actions authorized by the Trump administration in Portland and last month in Washington D.C. and called for the Inspectors General of the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to open investigations. –CNBC
“The Attorney General of the United States does not have unfettered authority to direct thousands of federal law enforcement personnel to arrest and detain American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights. The Acting Secretary [Chad Wolf] appears to be relying on an ill-conceived executive order meant to protect historic statues and monuments as justification for arresting American citizens in the dead of night,” reads the letter.
Trump’s Monday comments come hours after the Chicago Tribune reported that DHS plans on deploying around 150 federal agents to Chicago this week.
The Homeland Security Investigations, or HSI, agents are set to assist other federal law enforcement and Chicago police in crime-fighting efforts, according to sources familiar with the matter, though a specific plan on what the agents will be doing had not been made public. –Chicago Tribune
An official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the expected deployment, though noted that Homeland Security agents would not be involved in immigration or deportation matters.
In an unrelated Monday press conference, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) expressed concern over the possibility of Trump sending feds to Chicago based on what we’ve seen in Portland.
“We don’t need federal agents without any insignia taking people off the streets and holding them, I think, unlawfully,” said Lightfoot.
Send them masked justice warriors to fight Al Qaeda in Idlib and save the opressed minorities.
The Portland government has had protests and rioting every night for 2 months. With proper policing and prosecution this wouldn’t be happening. Sending federal law enforcement is an option. But the primary problem is democratic party politicians and their employees engaging in subversion, obstruction of justice, official misconduct and incompetence. They’re actively destroying the cities and states that they run and the US. Two police stations and a courthouse were attacked overnight in Seattle.
– UPDATE: Antifa and Black Lives Matter Rioters Smash Amazon Store in Seattle, Attack TV News Crew and Police Precincts, Start Arson Fires (Video) –
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/07/antifa-black-lives-matter-rioters-smash-amazon-store-seattle-attack-tv-news-crew-police-precinct-video/
https://youtu.be/67D8HZh4BOI
These Marxist mayors should be removed from power for their refusal to enact basic security measures to ensure the safety of their city. If they won’t do their job, the Federal government has every right to step in.
Surely its anti semitic to remove the marxist mayors ? :)
Democrats want a sustained show of rioting to show America that Trump is incapable or at least his policies are the cause of this. Trump would want to position himself as the one who brings order. The law enforcement are out to sabotage Trump by using a heavy handed approach. This will probably be contested in court and will lead to a declaration of illegality of arrests which Trump cannot afford now. What is missing is a state law limiting or prohibiting further riots and defining peaceful protests, and arrest procedures
The laws are on the books. Dem subversion and obstruction of justice with the Jew media running interference is the problem.
Im sure there is a provision that will apply. But to specifically address this particular issue, and to put a stamp of approval to whatever action they want, there needs to be a specific law on this specific act or an update of the same.
The feds have jurisdiction for federal crimes. Riot dispersal outside of federal property being attacked and arrests for attacking federal property and officers is within their jurisdiction. There is nothing illegal or unauthorized about securing federal property and arresting those attacking it and prosecuting them in federal courts.
99% of the rioters are using their phones to participate in the protests and riots. There are overarching federal laws that can be invoked to deal with rioting when local authorities are unable or unwilling to deal with it. You can start with 18 USC 2101: Riots:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8da6adccd9bba88e525cfb556698bdaac637a7dfbbd0aaf0d2088c85432f62ad.png
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2101
Kudos Mr. Trump. It’s about goddamn time! An organized force of Anitfa, now joined by BLM, terrorists have been attacking/looting/vandalizing and burning stores, government buildings and police stations and attacking ordinary citizens (especially the aged) on the streets of our cities with impunity and with the encouragement of (and funding from) our crooked Democrat politicians (talking to you, DNC!). This is becoming a daily/nightly ritual. These people are enemies of our country and need to be treated as such. The Democrat mayors and governors refuse to fix this – so you must act Mr. President, before we citizens finally get a snootfull and solve it our way.
Something is happening in Oregon. OOOOHHHH.
Without the lying Jew media and corporate support the dems would be in a much weaker position to engage in scamdemic economic destruction and subversive social unrest.
Generations of degenerative Jew media brainwashing and Jew infestation of the control functions of society to debase, exploit and manipulate it to the detriment of the nation. Are now evident in the aggressive dem destruction of the US. Judaism needs to be outlawed and the US dejudified so that it’s Jew free.
right wing trashy website that begs for money every month
right wing trashy website that begs for money every month
This has been Democrat’s obvious playbook all along – to foster chaos (by protecting Antifa mobs in cities) in the hope of forcing Trump federal government’s hand to act prior to elections. This is all about the elections – Democrats ploy is twofold, at basic level create chaos and try and try and blame it on Trump’s tenure in lead-up to elections, and at secondary level what they really want it is to force Trump to act, and then claim Trump is acting as oppressor sending military against population as their election rhetoric. At this point Democrats are a desperate, and utterly unscrupulous, rabble of Deep State lackeys.