Rand Paul says there's 'no place' for federal agents 'rounding people up at will' in Portland

(Image credit: KEVIN DIETSCH/AFP via Getty Images)

published 20 July 2020

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is not pleased with the actions of federal law enforcement agents on the ground in Portland, Oregon.

As protests against police brutality continued in the city last week, agents associated with the Department of Homeland Security were accused of arresting demonstrators without probable cause and failing to identify themselves before making the arrests. Paul on Monday said "there's no place" for such actions, not long after President Trump praised the troops for arresting "anarchists" and suggested he may send more federal agents to other cities.

Paul is often an ally of the president, but his split in this case is consistent with his political history. The senator is associated with the more libertarian wing of the Republican Party and is wary of federal overreach in law enforcement, which he said should be handled in this case by local and state authorities.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.