Following my letter earlier this week, I spoke with Acting Secretary Wolf this afternoon – he told me directly that DHS has no plans – and sees no need – to send federal forces to Seattle. He committed to notifying Chief Best and myself should that change.
I made clear to Acting Secretary Wolf that deployments in Seattle — like we have seen in Portland — would undermine public safety and break community trust. DHS now says they have a limited number of agents in the area on standby to protect federal buildings.
Should federal forces intervene like they have in Portland, we are prepared to pursue every legal recourse. A federal judge in Portland has entered an order limiting the actions of federal forces there. We are prepared to seek the same relief if necessary.
