Probes Launched Into Federal Agents’ Use of Force At BLM Protests

The inspectors general of the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security have launched probes into the use of force by federal law enforcement agents in both Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., during recent protests police brutality protests.

Both probes address the response to the last month of protests in Portland, and when protesters were tear-gassed last month near the White House, in order to clear a path for Donald Trump to St. John’s Episcopal Church so he could pose for a photo holding up a Bible, according to Reuters.

Officers from both the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security were involved in the incidents that lead to the probes. Democratic lawmakers raised concerns that Attorney General William Barr and Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf used federal agents to suppress free assembly, a violation of the protester’s First Amendment rights.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a part of the Department of Homeland Security, has received public scrutiny after videos online revealed camouflaged officers in Portland carrying guns without identifying themselves as legitimate law enforcement officers. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said that his office is investigating whether or not the officers had the proper identification displayed and if they complied with federal policies on using force in law enforcement. In addition, Horowitz said his office will review actions taken against the protesters in Portland and the ones tear-gassed and detained in Washington’s Lafayette Square.

Wolf defended Homeland Security’s actions, saying all federal agents were, in fact, making lawful arrests as well as properly identifying themselves as law enforcement. “We are only targeting and arresting those who have been identified as committing crime,” he said in a news conference Tuesday. Also, adding that “all officers are identified as police law enforcement officers.”

According to the letter sent to congressional lawmakers, Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General Joseph Cuffari said he opened an investigation into allegations that DHS officers improperly detained and transported protesters in Portland on July 15. Cuffari added that he’s forming a team to review whether DHS law enforcement had proper legal authority when dispatched to Portland. Meanwhile, the Inspector General’s Office for the Department of the Interior will be spearheading the investigation into the incident in Washington.

The probes in both cities are focused on providing recommendations on ways to improve government operations and protocols going forward and to help learn from past mistakes. The investigation into the actions in Portland, also requested by the U.S. attorney in Oregon, could lead to a possible referral for either criminal charges or disciplinary actions.