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Homeland Security Gets New Role Under Trump Monument Order

Associated Press

   PORTLAND, ORE. - Protesters who have clashed with authorities in the
   Pacific Northwest are not just confronting local police. Some are also
   facing off against federal officers whose presence reflects President
   Donald Trump's decision to make cracking down on "violent mayhem" a
   federal priority.

   The Department of Homeland Security has deployed officers in tactical
   gear from around the country, and from more than a half-dozen federal
   law enforcement agencies and departments, to Portland, Oregon, as part
   of a surge aimed at what a senior official said were people taking
   advantage of demonstrations over the police killing of George Floyd to
   commit violence and vandalism.

   "Once we surged federal law enforcement officers to Portland, the
   agitators quickly got the message," said the official, speaking on
   condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation.

   The deployment represents somewhat of a departure for DHS, which was
   created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and is primarily focused on
   threats from abroad and border security. During the Trump presidency,
   its focus has been largely on carrying out the president's tough
   immigration agenda. Now it is in the role of supporting Trump's
   law-and-order campaign, raising questions about overstepping the duties
   of local law enforcement.

   Portland Deputy Police Chief Chris Davis said his department did not
   request the assistance and did not coordinate efforts with the federal
   government amid often chaotic clashes that have ranged across several
   downtown blocks after midnight for weeks.

   "I don't have authority to order federal officers to do things," Davis
   said. "It does complicate things for us."
   The DHS officers' presence comes at an incredibly tense moment for
   Portland. After Floyd's death, the city for days saw marches and
   rallies that attracted more than 10,000 generally peaceful Black Lives
   Matter protesters to the downtown area. The police took a "mostly
   hands-off approach" to those events because they were orderly, Davis
   said.

   Civil liberties advocates and activists have accused federal
   authorities of overstepping their jurisdiction and excessive use of
   crowd-control measures, including using tear gas and patrolling beyond
   the boundaries of federal property. Portland police are prohibited from
   using tear gas under a recent temporary court order unless they declare
   a riot.

   "DHS should go back to investigating the rise of white supremacist
   activity and actors who are seeking to cause violence against these
   peaceful protests, that is under the purview of the agency's mission,"
   said Andrea Flores, the deputy director of immigration policy at the
   American Civil Liberties Union who was a DHS official during the Obama
   administration.

   Trump issued an executive order on June 26 to protect monuments after
   protesters tried to remove or destroy statues of people considered
   racist, including a failed attempt to pull down one of Andrew Jackson
   near the White House.

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