CBP Shoots Two in Portland: Is the 'Border' Now Main Street?
Newsweek identified two individuals shot by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Portland, focusing on the immediate details. What's notably absent is any robust context for why arguably militarized federal agents from an agency typically operating at the border were deployed with such force into a major American city in 2020—a year marked by widespread protests against police brutality. This
isn't just a shooting; it's a profound question about the scope of federal power and its domestic application, a question rarely afforded more than a dismissive glance. Instead of addressing the implications of agencies like CBP being repurposed for crowd control, often with limited accountability and significant equipment, the narrative remains narrowly focused on the immediate 'who, what,
where.' One might wonder how many 'domestic incidents' it takes before we acknowledge the expansion of border security powers into civic policing, particularly when such actions disproportionately target protestors. It appears some agencies are allowed to redefine their operational boundaries, with little public pushback from the very institutions meant to scrutinize power.