A tactical unit of federal agents has been placed on standby in Seattle to aid police should protests there spiral into unrest or rioting, the New York Times reported, a move that comes amid heated objections from local officials.
A Special Response Team operating under the authority of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was reportedly dispatched to Seattle on Thursday, as a 'precautionary' measure.
“The CBP team will be on standby in the area, should they be required,” the Federal Protective Service said in a statement about the operation. An agency spokesman who declined to be named, told the NYT that the border agents were sent to back up other law enforcement in protecting federal buildings, but would only be called into the streets if protests escalate to unrest.
The decision mirrors similar efforts in Portland, where federal agents have squared off with protesters in recent days, amid weeks of heated demonstrations there that have frequently seen violent clashes between activists and law enforcement.
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