ACLU sues over federal action in Portland protests

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, alleging agents sent by President Donald Trump to protect a federal courthouse targeted by Black Lives Matter protesters used excessive force and illegal detentions to rob protesters of their freedom of speech and assembly.

The lawsuit also alleges that the acting director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, did not have the authority to send more than 100 agents to Portland because he was improperly appointed.

The federal agents exceeded the limits of their authority, making illegal arrests and using tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray and other tactics to squelch the protests, the lawsuit alleges.

“Our clients are individuals and organizations that gathered peacefully in downtown Portland to support Black Lives Matter after the killing of George Floyd and so many others at the hands of the police,” said Jeremy Sacks, an attorney working with the ACLU. “But they were met by violence from the federal police forces intent on squelching the protesters message and their constitutional rights — all in aid of the president’s political agenda.”

DHS did not immediately reply to a request for comment Wednesday. The lawsuit names that agency, as well as Wolf and Trump.

Plaintiffs include three military veterans, a college professor, several Black Lives Matter activists and a man who alleges he was snatched off a street blocks from the federal courthouse by unidentified agents for no reason.

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