Border Patrol Agents Shoot Portlanders, Far From Any Border
In news that raises more questions than answers, Deutsche Welle details U.S. Border Patrol agents shooting and wounding two individuals during what's vaguely described as a 'federal immigration' incident in Portland, Oregon. This incident occurred over a thousand miles from any international border, echoing the dubious deployment of federal agents during the 2020 protests, also in Portland, under
the guise of protecting federal property. One might wonder when the 'border' purview expanded to include city blocks deep within American territory and what exactly constitutes an 'immigration' incident far from any port of entry. It's a convenient, if chilling, narrative expansion. This mission creep highlights a disturbing trend where agencies like CBP, with a budget that ballooned to over $21
billion in 2023, per Congressional records, are increasingly deployed interstate. These deployments, often justified by nebulous 'national security' concerns, allow for operations typically restricted to state and local authorities, sidestepping constitutional limitations with alarming regularity. The media, however, largely sticks to passive reporting, failing to probe the creeping militarization
of domestic law enforcement or how such actions differ from those in nations we are often told to fear.