Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli said that federal agents were not going to leave Portland anytime soon, and that DHS would deploy more agents to other cities if violence spikes, the Washington Post reports.
“You can expect that if violence continues in other parts of the country, the president has made no secret of the fact that he expects us where we can cooperate or have jurisdiction to step forward and expand our policing efforts there to bring down the level of violence,” Cuccinelli said.
According to unidentified agents, federal agents made about two dozen arrests since July 4th around the federal courthouse in Portland, detaining many more who were not charged.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Oregon Governor Kate Brown have called for the removal of federal agents from the city. The US Attorney for Oregon has called on the DHS Inspector General to investigate the legal of the agent deployment and their activities.
Contrary to video evidence, Cuccinelli stated that the agents involved in Portland are wearing identification numbers and agency patches so they can be identified. He said they are not wearing name badges to protect their identities and to prevent their families from being harassed or doxxed.