US Congress Pushing Homeland Security for Details on Protest Surveillance
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is stalling its response to congressional committee requests for details on how the department is surveilling protests at federal buildings in Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere…
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is stalling its response to congressional committee requests for details on how the department is surveilling protests at federal buildings in Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere, three Capitol Hill sources said.
Both the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee and its Democratic-controlled House of Representatives counterpart have asked for copies of anything related to anti-racism and anti-police violence protests generated by the department’s Intelligence and Analysis unit, known as I&A, the sources said.
The House intelligence committee chair, Representative Adam Schiff, last week asked acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf to turn over by last Friday “unredacted copies of all documents, communications or other materials … regarding any Department intelligence activities undertaken, requested or planned” related to recent and ongoing protests.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials did not respond to detailed requests for comment sent on Monday and Tuesday.
The United States has seen nationwide, largely peaceful protests since the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police in May. Protests in cities, including Portland, have at times erupted into arson and violence, and federal officers sent into Portland have repeatedly clashed with crowds targeting the federal courthouse there.
Top Democrats on several Senate subcommittees in June had asked the department and other agencies, including the Justice and Defense departments, for details on forces deployed to police protests.