- People in Portland have been protesting systemic racism and police violence since the George Floyd police murder on May 25.
- Last week, President Donald Trump abruptly deployed federal officials to the city.
- Images emerging from the Oregon capital show that federal forces use tear gas and other “non-lethal” methods of crowd control, causing anger and resentment. There have also been reports of federal agents arresting people without explanation and putting them in unmarked vehicles.
- BuzzFeed News spoke to 17 DHS employees, who asked to remain anonymous and denounced the government’s decision. One person called the response “blatantly unconstitutional and an embarrassment to the agency.”
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The Trump administration’s decision to deploy federal agents in Portland to protect federal buildings, and to quell protests against racism and police brutality in the process, has been widely denounced.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown called the measure “a blatant abuse of power” and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler denounced it as “an attack on our democracy,” the New York Times reported.
State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is suing the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies for violating the US Constitution, accusing law enforcement officials of throwing tear gas at protesters and snatching them from the street in unmarked cars in the name of protecting a federal court.
“Mr. President: You are receiving bad information from your people if you think things have gone well here in Portland. The presence of your federal agents has made matters significantly worse, even causing the greatest injuries so far. Thank you, but no thanks! “Rosenblum wrote on Twitter.
A BuzzFeed News report reveals that the rank and file of DHS are equally outraged by the president’s move. Seventeen employees spoke to the media on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to address the problem publicly.
“Despite working at DHS, I observe and learn about each day’s new descent into illegality and authoritarianism just like the rest of the world. Being part of this corrupt regime, even if it plays no role in the decision-making process decisions, it leaves me disgusted by my employer and sad about my country, “a DHS worker told BuzzFeed.
A crowd of approximately 1,500 protesters gathered at the Multnomah County Justice Center for a Black Lives Matter march on July 20, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. Monday night marked 54 days of protests in Portland following the police murder of George Floyd.
Nathan Howard / Getty Images
Another employee suggested that President Donald Trump is using federal force as an arsenal for his reelection campaign.
“This administration’s completely transparent fear of sending federal officials against peaceful protesters in Portland and Chicago has no purpose other than to support Trump’s reelection bid. It is blatantly unconstitutional and a disgrace to the agency and career officials working here.” . he said to Buzzfeed.
A DHS worker also expressed concern that the disturbing images emerging from the streets of Portland are poorly reflected throughout the organization.
“Such actions appear to do less to restore law and order than to deepen public mistrust of DHS,” they told BuzzFeed.
There is also concern among some DHS employees that they were intercepted by the Portland crackdown, one of whom told BuzzFeed that they did not agree to be and are not trained as “a street cop.”
“Civil societies have immigration laws that must be enforced, but that does not mean that we should be used as this delusional president’s personal attack dog just because we are available,” they said.
