Civil Rights
Describing the federal agents as "acting like an occupying army," Wyden demanded answers from both Trump and Homeland Security.
Wyden, alongside Senator Jeff Merkley (D.-Ore.), and U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D.-Ore.) and Suzanne Bonamici (D.-Ore.), also demanded an explanation from Attorney General William Barr and acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, expressing concern that the U.S. Marshals and others are taking direction from federal agents outside of Oregon.
During protests over the weekend, a federal agent shot a 26-year-old peaceful demonstrator in the head with a munition, fracturing his skull.
"Federal forces shot an unarmed protester in the face," Merkley tweeted Thursday. "These shadowy forces have been escalating, not preventing, violence. If Wolf is coming here to inflame the situation so Donald Trump can look like a tough guy, he should turn around and leave our city now."
Portland Deputy Police Chief Chris Davis has said his department did not request federal assistance and is not coordinating with the federal officers. "I don't have authority to order federal officers to do things," Davis told the AP. "It does complicate things for us."
Oregon's US senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with US Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici now want the US Department of Justice and the Inspector General's office to investigate the federal agents presence in Portland.
They earlier sent a letter to Wolf and Attorney General William Barr condemning the escalation of violent tactics against protesters.
Speaking to Fox News Thursday morning, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Mark Morgan made a distinction, explaining that those wreaking havoc on Portland's streets for six weeks straight "are criminals, those are not protesters."
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf on Thursday released a timeline detailing how over the past few days officers' personal information has been released online and rioters have assaulted law enforcement with hammers, lasers, slingshots and fireworks. Others have been armed with sledgehammers, tasers and "flaming debris."
Merkley co-signed a letter with Sen. Ron Wyden and Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici after Donavan La Bella, 26, was shot in the head by federal officers with a less-lethal rubber bullet during a protest on Saturday, July 11. LaBella underwent facial reconstructive surgery after he suffered a skull fracture.
Merkley said he had just concluded a call with Derrick Driscoll, the acting deputy director of the U.S. Marshals Service — part of the Department of Justice — and said he came away "completely infuriated."
He said he refused to answer basic questions about the role of federal officers in Portland.
"What the rules of engagement are, what roles they've been playing on the streets of Portland, who decided what equipment they have or when to use it, they will not answer questions about the level of coordination they've had with Portland Police," Merkley tells KATU News.
He said Deputy Director Derrick Driscoll made clear his officers have full federal authority to protect federal institutions - and to do whatever is needed to accomplish their mission.
Earlier this week, four of Oregon's federal lawmakers demanded answers from U.S. Attorney William Barr and the acting Homeland Security secretary regarding the actions of federal law enforcement agents against demonstrators in downtown Portland in recent weeks, including injuring a protester over the weekend.