Trump in 'law and order' campaign to send federal agents to more U.S.
cities
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[July 23, 2020]
By Jeff Mason and Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald
Trump announced a plan on Wednesday to send federal agents to the
Democratic-run cities of Chicago and Albuquerque to crack down on
violent crime in an escalation of his "law and order" theme heading into
the final months before the presidential election.
Trump, joined at a White House event by Attorney General William Barr,
unveiled an expansion of the "Operation Legend" program to more cities
in a further effort by federal officials to tackle violence.
"Today I'm announcing a surge of federal law enforcement into American
communities plagued by violent crime," said Trump, a Republican who has
accused Democratic mayors and governors of tolerating crime waves. "This
bloodshed must end; this bloodshed will end," he said.
The program involves deploying federal law enforcement agents to assist
local police in combating what the Justice Department has described as a
"surge" of violent crime.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan
Grisham, both Democrats, welcomed the federal help, so long as it was to
assist local law enforcement with community policing and public safety.
Both rejected the use of federal agents for the kind of protest
crackdown seen in Portland, Oregon, saying such actions would be met
with legal action.
"If the Trump administration wishes to antagonize New Mexicans and
Americans with authoritarian, unnecessary and unaccountable
military-style 'crackdowns,' they have no business whatsoever in New
Mexico," Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
Barr sought to differentiate the initiative from the use of federal
agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to quell unrest in
Portland, where local authorities have complained about the federal
involvement.
Barr said the law enforcement personnel from a variety of agencies will
serve as “street” agents and investigators who will be working to "solve
murders and take down violent gangs."
"This is different than the operations and tactical teams we use to
defend against riots and mob violence," Barr said. "We will continue to
confront mob violence. But the operations we are discussing today are
very different – they are classic crime fighting."
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President Donald Trump listens to questions during a coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) response news briefing at the White House in
Washington, U.S., July 21, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Trump hopes his "law and order" push will resonate with his
political base as he trails Democrat Joe Biden in opinion polls
ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election. But the initiative risks
inflaming tensions running high in many cities in the wake of the
death in police custody of George Floyd, an African-American.
Operation Legend involves federal agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals
Service and other agencies partnering with local law enforcement.
Lightfoot said it was not unusual for federal law enforcement to
work alongside local partners, but urged Chicagoans to watch for any
sign that federal agents, especially DHS officers, were stepping
"out of line."
"We don't need federal troops, we don't need unnamed, secret federal
agents," said Lightfoot, in reference to tactics used by federal
personnel in Portland.
Trump has emphasized a robust policing and military approach to the
protests across the United States about racial inequality after
Floyd's death in Minneapolis.
The White House has sought to focus on city crime even as Trump's
approval numbers plummet in response to his handling of the
coronavirus pandemic.
"We are waiting for the mayor (Lightfoot), respectfully, and other
mayors and governors to call us. We are ready, willing and able to
go in there with great force," Trump told reporters later on
Wednesday.
Operation Legend is named for LeGend Taliferro, a 4-year-old boy who
was shot and killed while he slept early on June 29 in Kansas City,
Missouri, according to the Department of Justice's website.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Sarah Lynch; additional reporting by
Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; writing by Jeff Mason and Steve
Holland; Editing by Leslie Adler; Editing by Bill Tarrant andonathan
Oatis)
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