The Department of Homeland Security is being tight lipped about Border Patrol agents allegedly detaining people in Portland, Oregon without cause.
Daily Caller spoke with numerous DHS officials Friday, none of whom were prepared to comment on the allegations. News reports from The Washington Post, Vice and Oregon Public Broadcasting claimed that the Border Patrol agents are detaining random people in an effort to quell nightly protests taking place throughout the city.
After this article was published, Customs and Border Patrol released a statement claiming agents had collected “information” suggesting the individual being detained in the following video had potentially assaulted law enforcement officers policing the protests and vandalized federal property. Agents “quickly moved the suspect to a safer location for further questioning,” the notice claims.
WATCH:
These federal officers (?) just rushed up and arrested someone for no reason pic.twitter.com/xcFVuoMZmN
— Matcha chai (@matcha_chai) July 15, 2020
“While the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) respects every American’s right to protest peacefully, violence and civil unrest will not be tolerated,” CBP wrote. “Violent anarchists have organized events in Portland over the last several weeks with willful intent to damage and destroy federal property, as well as injure federal officers and agents. These criminal actions will not be tolerated.”
The statement did not answer Daily Caller’s questions about why Border Patrol units in particular were deployed to Portland, nor did it elaborate on the other allegations of patrol members detaining individuals in the city.
Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf noted Friday that protesters had targeted law enforcement officers with lasers and frozen water bottles ahead of his Thursday trip to survey damage carried out by protesters in the city.
“Let’s get this right. ‘Protestors’ imply they were peacefully exercising their 1st amendment rights,” he wrote. “Instead, DHS officers were assaulted with lasers and frozen water bottles from violent criminals attempting to tear down federal property. 2 officers were injured. Facts matter.”
Let’s get this right. “Protestors” imply they were peacefully exercising their 1st amendment rights. Instead, DHS officers were assaulted with lasers and frozen water bottles from violent criminals attempting to tear down federal property. 2 officers were injured. Facts matter. https://t.co/U2CdAT0c9G
— Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) July 17, 2020
Wolf additionally said during a Fox News interview that he and the DHS personnel would not leave the city until order is restored in Portland.
WATCH:
“I offered @DHSgov support to help locally address the situation that’s going on in Portland, and their only response was: please pack up and go home. That’s just not going to happen on my watch.” pic.twitter.com/BW8UdbNZ9c
— Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) July 17, 2020
DHS personnel were deployed to police the Portland protests shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing federal assets to protect federal property and monuments.