President Donald Trump announced a “surge” of federal officers in cities across the nation Wednesday, an expansion of the effort to quell protests against police brutality and racism in Portland. The surge is being called “Operation Legend.”
Federal officers have been engaging protesters in Portland since at least June 27. Trump and U.S. Attorney General William Barr have singled out Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore, Kansas City, Albuquerque and New York City as targets for future deployments of federal officers.
A Special Response Team from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, similar to the BORTAC deployed in Portland, is being deployed in Seattle, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Federal officers’ conduct here may offer some insight into what other cities should expect. Here are five takeaways from Portland.
1. Federal officers have been quick to use chemical weapons, impact munitions and other force, and their tactics may differ from local law enforcement.
The earliest recorded instance of federal officers engaging with protesters in Portland was June 27, before federal officials announced the deployment, when officers reportedly shot pepper balls at protesters. The use of force has only escalated since then from federal officers, although local law enforcement had regularly used tear gas, pepper spray and impact munitions previously, resulting in a temporary restraining order.
A federal officer critically wounded Donavan La Bella, 26, by shooting him in the face with an impact munition July 11. La Bella was standing across the street from officers with his hands above his head holding a stereo when shot. The incident spurred a lawsuit and criminal investigation from the Oregon Attorney General.
Federal officers have also blanketed the streets of Portland with tear gas regularly and hit protesters with batons. A video went viral when Christopher David, 53, a U.S. Navy veteran was beaten by federal officers Saturday.
2. Identifying what agency people are interacting with has often been difficult, sometimes nearly impossible, for the average person.
Amid the litany of different agencies operating at protests, people on the ground have often struggled to identify what agency they are interacting with. In Portland, this was an issue prior to the deployment of federal officers.
Local law enforcement in Portland began covering name tags and badge numbers at protests after a June 6 memo, citing security concerns. Richard Cline, director of operations for Federal Protective Services said Tuesday federal officers have been told not to display names or badges at protests, citing similar concerns.
The identifiers most commonly cited by federal officials are small shoulder patches that may indicate membership to a specific response team or agency. Some officers have agency names displayed on the upper back of the uniform.
3. Federal agencies may work in coordination with local law enforcement, as they have been in Portland.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reported on the overwhelming evidence of coordination between federal agencies and local agencies at recent protests Saturday, after weeks of local officials denying there was coordination.
Since the story was reported, a federal court filing said Portland police have even assisted federal officers in making arrests and detailed federal surveillance efforts. Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty said Wednesday that Portland police has been coordinating with federal officers since protests began nearly two months ago.
The Portland City Council voted unanimously to ban cooperation with federal law enforcement Wednesday.
4. Federal officers have grabbed people off the streets and loaded them into unmarked vans.
Oregon Public Broadcasting first reported July 16 about video showing federal officers snatching a protester off a mostly empty street and forcing them into an unmarked vehicle.
The agency responsible has since been identified as the U.S. Border Patrol, and the U.S. attorney for Oregon has called for an investigation. On Twitter, Mark Morgan, a senior official with Customs and Border Protection, said that agents had transported one suspect to a “safer location” for questioning to avoid a “large and violent mob.” Morgan did not offer any further explanation.
So far, U.S. Border Patrol has not indicated any intent to discontinue this tactic during protests.
5. Federal officers have typically based their operations on federal property but have not been shy when it comes to operating on city property or public streets.
The now-infamous incident of federal officers pulling a protester into an unmarked rental van took place on city property. Federal officers have also regularly marched through the city while attempting to disperse protesters.
City officials have called for federal officers to stay on federal property, but it has not stopped them from launching tear gas, stun grenades and impact munitions elsewhere in the downtown area.
-- K. Rambo
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