Cooperation between federal authorities has deteriorated as Portland’s mayor rejected the overtures of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the city council made a “deadly” decision to block police assistance, said Customs Commissioner and Border Protection (CBP) Mark Morgan to Fox News.
For weeks, Portland has been rocked by violence and attacks on federal property, which Morgan says is sufficient justification for its agents to enter the city. Meanwhile, a tough mayor, Ted Wheeler, joined the ongoing protests and accused the federal government of violating the Constitution through “non-American” tactics.
When the DHS leadership visited Portland, Wheeler tweeted that he would not meet with them even if they asked.
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“That is not a leader. He is a 10-year-old boy,” Morgan told Fox News during an exclusive interview on Thursday.
His comments reflected the continuing tension between liberal jurisdictions such as Portland and an administration that portrays itself as taking all the necessary steps to guarantee law and order. On Friday, Wheeler accused DHS of a “federal occupation” that he said “must end.”
But according to Morgan, his agents are the only ones standing in the way of the complete destruction of the city’s federal court. “The moment we remove our presence from that building, this country would see the court burn at the hands of these criminals,” he said.
He also speculated that the situation in Portland would end “overnight” if the city allowed its own police officers to do their jobs. The Portland Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
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“That is not going to happen, and that is what it is about. It is not about every point of political discussion. It is simple. It is about law and order. It is about criminals who are attacking a federal facility and have tried overnight after night burning it to the ground and they have attacked federal agents night after night after night, “Morgan said.
However, a Portland official has framed the debate in terms of excessive government authority.
The Portland City Council has also teamed up with the Mayor to resist cooperation with federal law enforcement.
“The Trump administration is not only violating the constitutional rights of the inhabitants of Puerto Rico, but it is also trying to use Portland as a testing ground for fascism, and plans to invade cities across the country, cities that are political targets of the President”. Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said.
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On Friday, the city sent the federal government a cease and desist letter directing authorities to remove the fences around the court. The resolution proposed by Eudaly, passed earlier this week, prohibited the police department from cooperating with federal agents, a decision Morgan said will cost the officers’ lives.
“It has the potential to have a fatal impact, a fatal impact, and I’m not being hyperbolic,” said Morgan. It signaled a collapse in communication between government entities before the September 11 attacks as evidence of the potential for dire consequences.
“So now you have a municipal council that tells their police department that they cannot, cannot share information or intelligence with another law enforcement agency, and that even includes information against life. So what the council Municipal has told the police department, “Basically, if you have information, even if the lives of federal law enforcement is in danger that they may not share that information with that agency,” he said.
“That is outrageous, it is irresponsible, and it is a classic example of these local politicians putting politics before public security … When did the police in this situation become the enemy?” I ask.
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The wording of the resolution specifically blocks police from sending or receiving “operational support” from federal agents. The Portland Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment. As of press time, the mayor’s office had not yet clarified whether the police can provide information on threats to the officers’ lives.
“Communication has almost broken,” Morgan said, alleging that the city was not making efforts to prevent violence.
Wheeler’s office told Fox News about comments made by President Trump about “Hannity,” apparently to indicate that the bad relationship was a two-way street. “Mayor Wheeler. And he’s … played dumb,” he said Thursday. “He wanted to be among the people, so he got into the crowd, and they took his breath away. That was the end of it. So it was pretty pathetic,” Trump said.
The Portland mayor has indicated that he views federal agents as an enemy force. “This is not a de-escalation strategy,” Wheeler said. “This is a resounding urban war and the President is bringing it to this country and it must stop now.” While speaking to Fox News, Morgan insisted that her agency had the authority to enter cities like Portland. “What we are talking about is an increase to help federal authorities already in the city,” she said.
Morgan has been at the forefront of countering a torrent of criticism and accusations that he says are false about his agents. The media and protesters alleged that federal agents were abusing their authority and dodging civil liberties by dealing with crowds.
Meanwhile, DHS has said that the people, who are not fit to be called protesters, according to Morgan, attacked their agents and committed federal crimes.
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CBP officers have seen at least seven injuries, including chemical burning of an agent’s neck and required hospitalization due to a shin injury. On Friday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said three officers were likely blinded by the laser attacks.
“A federal agent’s hand was impaled by planted nails, another federal agent was shot with a pellet gun, leaving a deep wound in the bone, and tragically, three federal agents were likely permanently blinded by laser-rioters pointed directly at his eyes, “she said.
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Morgan said he was unaware that his agent had done anything wrong, noting that he receives “very detailed reports” on the situation “literally hour by hour.” Oregon officials concerned about the agents’ actions appeared to be successful in sparking a federal investigation. Both DHS and the Justice Department announced Thursday that they would seek investigations into the officers’ conduct.
When asked about the Justice Department investigation, Morgan said, “I understand that DHS [Department of Homeland Security] I G [Inspector General] You have started some queries. I am aware of that too. Here is what I will say: I am very confident based on all the information I know, which is considerable. “
