By Erik Ortiz, Kurt Chirbas, Michael Kosnar and Andrew Blankstein – NBC News
Democratic officials representing the state of Oregon in Congress said Friday that will demand a federal investigation into the deployment of federal agents in Portland, after local leaders denounced that their presence outside federal government buildings has increased tensions and sparked clashes during protests in recent weeks.
Lawmakers demand that inspectors general of the departments of Homeland Security and Justice review the “unsolicited presence and violent actions” of “paramilitary forces without any identification indicating who they are or who they work for.”
A spokeswoman for Democratic Governor Kate Brown said the president is concerned about the allegations that these federal agents have illegally arrested people.
His office has asked the Department of Homeland Security to remove these officers, spokesman Charles Boyle said, but “the federal law enforcement agencies are not telling us about their activities.”
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets Thursday night and accused authorities of throwing tear gas and impact munitions at them to keep them away from federal facilities.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf visited Portland this Thursday, before another chaotic night of protests. The official said the city had been “under siege for 47 days followed by a violent mob” and criticized local leaders for not arresting “lawless anarchists.”
On Fox News, Wolf said Friday that Department of Homeland Security agents were in Portland: “We have about a hundred federal officials there to make sure that we support that court and that we defend that court.”.
He later tweeted that two officers had been injured after being attacked with laser lights and frozen water bottles by “violent criminals trying to tear down federal property.”
[Protestas por la muerte de George Floyd se extienden alrededor del mundo]
Videos on social media showed the frenzy in that part of town, where camouflage-clad federal agents pointed their weapons at protesters and fired gas to disperse them. Other recordings officers were seen beating people with batons.
Portland police said their officers had not used tear gas during the protests last night.
Oregon Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Jeff Merkley, said they were concerned about the alarming videos that allegedly show federal agents aboard private vehicles to stop protesters.
“Take your DHS lackeys and unwanted paramilitary actions out of my state,” Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, tweeted to President Donald Trump. “Our communities are not a stage for their twisted reelection campaign.”
Protesters have taken to the streets every night for the past two months since the murder in police custody of George Floyd, a black man whose death in Minneapolis triggered global protests against police brutality and racism.
The Portland Police Office said Friday night that it made “several arrests” during the protests the day before.
It is unclear to what agencies federal officials belong that were deployed on Thursday night.
A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson told NBC News that Border Patrol agents, who belong to the Department of Homeland Security, have been stationed in Portland to protect federal facilities, as part of the recent Trump executive order punishing vandalism of federal monuments and government property.
However, the agency did not provide information on the individuals deployed, as this could put them at risk.
Meanwhile, the Marshals Service has been involved in an investigation in the city, after one of its members shot a man in the head during Saturday’s protest, according to the newspaper. The Oregonian.
The Marshals Service confirmed that it carries out security tasks in the federal court of the city, but denied that his agents had participated in the incidents that were captured on video outside federal property.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon said the arrest of civilians by officers in military uniform, apparently captured on video Thursday night, amounted to kidnapping.
“The actions of the militarized federal agents are unconstitutional and will not go unanswered,” said Jann Carson, the group’s interim executive director.
A police source in Oregon rejected some of these videos, and told NBC News that people had been detained because they had been identified after committing violent acts.
The Department of Homeland Security has listed nearly 100 criminal incidents, including vandalism, graffiti, fire, and assault on officers, since late May.
Federal government intervention and its use of officers on the streets of Portland has sparked debate among federal officials and state and local leaders about who has that authority.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said he never asked for help with the federal government protests.
“He is irresponsible and is intensifying an already tense situation,” he tweeted Thursday. “Eliminate the increased presence of troops now”.
Gov. Brown tweeted Thursday night that she had asked Wolf to remove all federal agents from the city streets. She called the deployment of those officers in Portland a “blatant abuse of power by the federal government.”
“You are putting both Oregon residents and local law enforcement officers at risk”Brown said.
Acting Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli said on Fox News Friday that the federal government has the right to intervene and protect its facilities.
“What we have seen across the country is that where there is responsible police, violence recedes,” Cuccinelli said. “And Portland hasn’t understood this. Neither have many other cities.”
See also:
At least six lightly injured and 13 arrested in protests by extremist groups in Portland
George Floyd’s death leaves many lessons. This has meant for some Latinos
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