After outrage over the presence of federal agents in Portland, Ore., the Trump administration is sending a team to Seattle. Officials say they will be on standby.
The Trump administration, which has pledged to use the full force of the government to protect federal property, expanded that effort on Thursday by sending a team of tactical border officers to stand by for duty in Seattle. The Special Response Team being deployed is similar to the tactical teams currently operating in Portland, Ore., where local officials have vehemently objected to their efforts to subdue street protests. Seattle officials have also said they do not want federal agents sent to target protesters. Agents from the Special Response Team, operated under the U. S. Customs and Border Protection agency, are typically deployed for intense law enforcement operations, similar to the agency’s BORTAC group that has operated in Portland. “The C. B. P. team will be on standby in the area, should they be required,” the Federal Protective Service said in a statement about the Seattle effort.
