Rep. Peters on Unmarked Federal Police in Portland, OR & Other American Cities

Rep. Peters joined fellow members of Congress in a letter on July 22, 2020, to the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security, demanding  answers regarding the deployment of unidentifiable federal law enforcement officers in Portland, OR:

"I join my fellow members of Congress to demand answers regarding the deployment of unidentifiable federal law enforcement officers in our cities. The administration’s actions have inflamed social tensions and put our values as a democratic society into question. This must stop."

Rep. Peters issued this statement via Twitter on July 20, 2020, regarding the president's use of unidentifiable, federal law enforcement in our cities and announcing his support of the Law Enforcement Identification Act:

"The president’s use of federal law enforcement in our cities sets a chilling precedent for the future of our democracy and stands firmly against our values as a country. We must not allow this blatant show of force and intimidation for political gain to continue.

Unmarked federal police detaining protesters in Portland w/o probable cause looks like something straight out of the Handmaid’s Tale. This kind of operation is traditionally practiced by fascist governments, not in the U.S. The American people deserve answers and this must stop.

I call on the President to immediately stop these actions and my fellow members of Congress to denounce the administration’s use of force and careless disregard for constitutional rights.

I’m co-sponsoring Rep. Don Beyer’s bill, the Law Enforcement Identification Act, which would require all federal law enforcement officers engaged in crowd control/the detainment of individuals at protests, to visibly display names and agencies. Transparency is a critical first step."