Portland unherd3/30/2023 ![]() Over the summer, local Portland officials publicly clashed with DHS over the deployment, which critics said inflamed the situation. Hatfield US Courthouse in downtown Portland. Between June 4 and August 31, 755 officers from the Federal Protective Service, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the US Secret Service took part in the operation.Īt the time, federal law enforcement officials and protesters became locked in a tense standoff centered at the Mark O. ![]() Last summer, DHS deployed law enforcement officers from several agencies to help the Federal Protective Service protect federal facilities in Portland as part of its “cross-designation” authority. On Tuesday, the department said it was “prepared to implement additional” measures to safeguard federal facilities and federal personnel, as well as support jurisdictions as needed.ĭHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari is set to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, where he will likely face questions about the effectiveness of his office’s oversight role. However, despite identified equipment issues, “many DHS officers stated that efforts to protect the facilities were effective,” the report says. “Without the necessary policies, training, and equipment, DHS will continue to face challenges securing Federal facilities during periods of civil disturbance that could result in injury, death, and liability,” the report says. Officers also reported problems with radio communications, such as the inability to communicate with DHS officers from other agencies. ![]() Some officers did not even have shin guards, face shields or and protective eyewear. The department was “unprepared to effectively execute cross-component activities” to protect federal facilities when law enforcement officers first deployed in June, the report reads.ĭepartment officers did not have the necessary equipment to protect themselves during riots and violent protests, according to the report. ![]() Tensions grew in Portland over the summer after federal officers arrived in the city, which had experienced prolonged and at times violent protests over demands for racial justice and police accountability. The department’s inspector general flagged several major concerns with the deployment of more than 700 officers, including failure to properly train them to police riots and to conduct crowd control operations, raising concerns of increased risk to both officers and the public. The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security surged hundreds of federal agents to Portland, Oregon, last summer with incomplete training and missing equipment, a new watchdog report says. ![]()
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