ACLU: BREAKING: We’re calling for the dismantling of the Department of Homeland Security.
The ACLU is now calling to dismantling the Department of Homeland Security – which protects every American By Law Enforcement Today
The federal agency tasked with protecting Americans from outside threats has become the target of a once well-respected civil rights organization.
The American Civil Liberties Union tweeted Monday:
“BREAKING: We’re calling for the dismantling of the Department of Homeland Security.
Dismantling DHS, breaking it apart into various federal agencies, and shrinking its federal budget will allow for more effective oversight, accountability and public transparency.
Nearly 20 years of abuse, waste, and corruption demonstrate the failure of the DHS experiment. Many knew DHS to be an ineffective superagency, but President Trump has converted DHS into our government’s most notable badge of shame.”
The call to dismantle and defund the Department of Homeland Security comes at a time when the massive federal agency is critically needed.
The department’s 240,000 employees are dealing with the threat of a pandemic, layered on top of already wide-ranging duties like cybersecurity, counterterrorism, aviation security, border security, protection of national leaders and infrastructure and emergency response.
Right now, DHS agents are working to slow the spread of the coronavirus by limiting all non-essential travel across borders. Within US borders, they’re working non-stop to defend against criminals who are attempting to use COVID-19 for financial gain.
In Portland, violent and destructive protests are dovetailing with the pandemic, and the federal agents sent in to serve and protect have become punching bags for controversy.
That’s where the liberal civil rights organization is building the cornerstone for its shaky argument. It is using the protestor versus police clashes in the Rose City, as purported evidence to dismantle one of our nation’s frontline federal protectors.
In an op-ed in USA Today, ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero wrote:
“In recent weeks, the actions of federal agents have shown us all that the Department of Homeland Security isn’t capable of acting consistently with the Constitution, and should no longer exist in its current state. The scenes unfolding in Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere are a reminder of the red flags many have raised about DHS throughout its history: that its powers are too great, and that it lacks the oversight and management to be effective.”
In the article, Romero doubles down on the ACLU’s past claims that paramilitary forces kidnapped protestors after coming to Oregon uninvited by the governor.
Those claims have been proven untrue in recent weeks.
Federal agents have been in Portland since last month when, according to a DHS press release, they were invited in by Oregon Governor Kate Brown. The press release reads:
“Such cooperation between federal and state/local law enforcement is routinely done in every city in the United States. As a result of the governor’s long-delayed, though welcomed, change in direction, the area of the Hatfield Federal Courthouse has finally seen a stark downward trend in violence perpetrated towards federal facilities and federal law enforcement officers. While some violence has continued in the city, Sunday, August 2nd marked the first evening in nearly two months with zero reported attacks against federal officers or property thanks to the coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement.”
The op-ed also links the turmoil in Portland to the White House. Romero writes:
“If there is one thing we have learned from the authoritarianism on display in Portland, it’s that we have to remove the loaded weapon that sits on the proverbial coffee table in the Oval Office.”
He suggests dismantling DHS, breaking it into smaller federal agencies and using its funding for oversight and public transparency.
As of Monday night, DHS has yet to respond to the article or the ACLU, seemingly prioritizing national security over social media mudslinging. For updates and more, visit Law Enforcement Today. Article printed with permission.