President Donald Trump has sent tactical border officers to Seattle on Thursday as his administration expands its efforts in cracking down on surging crime in Democrat-controlled cities.
KIRO 7 reports:
The Special Response Team is similar to tactical teams operating in Portland, where violence and protests have raged for nearly eight weeks in the Oregon city. Federal agents have been in Portland for most of July. […]
Agents for the Special Response Team operate under the umbrella of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Times reported. They are typically deployed for intense law enforcement operations. […]
Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, told KIRO-TV that it was appropriate to seek help from the federal government.
In an interview with the New York Times, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) said she spoke with acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, who told her that the federal government would not be sending additional agents before communicating with local officials.
DHS spokesperson Alexei Woltornist said it would be sending fewer agents to Seattle than Portland, which has been plagued by ongoing riots.
“There is no large-scale deployment of personnel to Seattle at this time. As threats warrant, any large-scale use of law enforcement assets will involve close coordination with local law enforcement,” Woltornist stated. “There are no other cities across the country that have the same threats and lack of local law enforcement support as we are experiencing in Portland.”
More details to follow.