There have been numerous reports from Portland that protesters or rioters have been kidnapped by police in unmarked vans. The alleged kidnappings have been caught in video and posted on numerous social media platforms like the one below. The federal government has confirmed that these kidnappings were actually legal arrest and/or detention of suspected criminals. These vans were being used by the U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol Tactical Unit while they were assigned to protect federal properties in Portland during the riots.
Authoritarian governments, not democratic republics, send unmarked authorities after protesters. These Trump/Barr tactics designed to eliminate any accountability are absolutely unacceptable in America, and must end. pic.twitter.com/PE4YfZ9Vqd
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) July 16, 2020