The Trump administration acted within the law when it deployed Border Patrol agents and other law enforcement to Portland, Oregon, last year to protect the federal courthouse, an inspector general ruled Wednesday — but he said Homeland Security should have done a better job coordinating their efforts.
Agents and officers from various branches had different uniforms, used different tactics and weren’t all trained for the mission they faced, the inspector general said.
“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 auditor concluded.
The deployment came amid nightly clashes and riots in Portland, where a conglomeration of Black Lives Matter, anarchist and other left-wing protesters engaged in nightly clashes and riots last summer surrounding the federal courthouse.
Fearing the courthouse would be overrun or burned, Homeland Security deployed hundreds of additional personnel, drawing complaints from Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who labeled them “storm troopers.”
A number of liberal activist groups questioned the legality of the deployment itself.
The new audit found that the law does allow for such deployments, and in fact they have been made before, including during the Obama administration.
