Many in Portland say the federal officers are only making the city less safe for people to exercise their First Amendment rights.
Ken Cuccinelli, the No. 2 official at the Department of Homeland Security, is defending an aggressive federal response to civil rights demonstrations in Portland, Oregon, that has included disturbing detentions described by some as “kidnappings.”
Several top officials in the state are calling for investigations amid growing national concern over Homeland Security’s actions, some of which have been caught on video and widely circulated on social media. Unidentified federal agents in military-style gear Asked Friday whether he would support such an investigation, Cuccinelli July 1 that a new task force would be formed to enforce President Donald Trump’s executive order on protecting monuments and all federal property, signed in late June.
But many in Portland say that the federal officers are only making the city less safe for people to exercise their First Amendment rights. “The current escalation of fear and violence in downtown Portland is being driven by federal law enforcement tactics that are entirely unnecessary and out of character with the Oregon way,” state Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum
early Saturday morning. Her office is suing DHS, CBP, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Protection Service, arguing that the detentions and enforcement tactics are illegal.“With as much lawbreaking is going on, we’re seeking to prosecute as many people as are breaking the law as it relates to federal jurisdiction,” he said on NPR.in Portland to justify the presence of federal forces ― including damage to federal buildings by fireworks and many instances of graffiti.
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