The Justice Department doesn’t have the manpower to surge agents to high-crime areas, so it is borrowing from Homeland Security. Throughout his presidency, Trump has leaned on Homeland Security to carry out his political objectives, including cracking down on illegal immigration and slowing legal immigration applications. Critics say the federal forces have stoked tensions, creating new images of violence that could lead frightened viewers to vote for Trump. Homeland Security first jumped into the federal response to the Floyd protests in May as some demonstrations erupted into sporadic violence around the country. But effort shifted into high gear over the July Fourth weekend as Homeland Security agents and officers from at least a half a dozen components of the sprawling organization were arriving in Portland.

Source: Manila Times July 22, 2020 05:25 UTC