Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul criticized U.S. law enforcement agencies for their actions protecting federal installations in Portland, Oregon, saying agents were “rounding up people at will.”
Paul’s comment came in the form of a Twitter post in which he linked to a story on the conservative blog Hot Air by “Allahpundit” which questioned “whether they’re targeting vandals or casting a much broader net at demonstrators.”
“We cannot give up liberty for security,” wrote Paul, a Republican. “Local law enforcement can and should be handling these situations in our cities but there is no place for federal troops or unidentified federal agents rounding people up at will.”
Agents from the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Patrol as well as the Federal Protective Service have been deployed in recent days to protect federal installations, such as courthouse buildings.
This comes after U.S. officials said they received intelligence that protestors and rioters who have created unrest for more than seven consecutive weeks in the city — following the death of a Black man in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day — were planning on targeting federal property.
President Donald Trump said Monday the policy could be expanded to other cities.
Paul added his criticism to that of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who has said the federal agents have “escalated” the violence.
Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan on Monday rebuked Portland Mayor Wheeler in an interview saying it was "stupid statement that is not based in reality or fact.”
DHS’ Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli also dismissed criticisms that the agents were somehow acting improperly and anonymously, saying the agents have been very visible since their arrival.
Moreover, Cuccinelli’s boss, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf on Monday said his officers were not changing tactics.
"We are not escalating," he said on Fox News' morning program "Fox and Friends." "We are protecting again federal facilities and it's our job and what Congress told us to do time and time again, so we're going to do that. We're going to investigate and we're going to hold those accountable and arrest them and hold those accountable that are doing this destruction."
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