[Portland\Trump’s Secret Police]
The Nation: “The bill would require on-duty federal agents display not just the name of their agency, but the individual agent’s last name and identification number.”
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In response to Trump’s use of secret police tactics targeting protesters in Portland, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep Eleanor Holmes-Norton are introduce a bill that would require federal agents to identify themselves.
Following a storm of controversy over arrests by federal agents in Portland, Ore., last week, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Washington, D.C., Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton will be introducing legislation this week that would require federal law enforcement officials to clearly identify themselves, according to a draft bill provided exclusively to The Nation.
The Nation’s DC correspondent Ken Klippenstein reports the following in the article “A House Bill Would Require Feds to Identify Themselves” that:
“The bill would require on-duty federal agents display not just the name of their agency, but the individual agent’s last name and identification number. It would also mandate a new form of oversight for the Justice Department, requiring its Inspector General conduct routine audits to ensure compliance with the legislation. The results of these audits would then be reported to Congress.”
Late last week, Klippenstein reported on a leaked memo of internal talking points for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the federal agency responsible for the arrest of a protester in Portland, detailing a coordinated program of domestic counterinsurgency, and raising more questions than answers. The memo shows that CBP personnel will be deployed indefinitely and in undisclosed locations, with drones “on standby to assist as needed.”
A former Border Patrol agent told Klippenstein that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS, which oversees CBP) has undergone a “mission creep” phenomenon, wherein its mission and authorities have gradually expanded over time—a process carried out cumulatively over the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations.
This report builds on previous reporting by Klippenstein that revealed the Trump administration has designated both ICE and CBP as security agencies, a special classification that will enable them to operate in even greater secrecy, putting employees in the same category as high-level intelligence officials.
Ken Klippenstein is The Nation’s DC correspondent. His reporting focuses on the machinations of the American national security state and documents under-the-radar politics and policies enacted by the Trump administration. Klippenstein was previously senior investigative reporter for The Young Turks and a frequent contributor to The Daily Beast. His reporting has been referenced by countless outlets and cited by Congress—including, in one instance, to grill FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Founded by abolitionists in 1865, The Nation has chronicled the breadth and depth of political and cultural life from the debut of the telegraph to the rise of Twitter, serving as a critical, independent, and progressive voice in American journalism.
www.thenation.com
