Department of Homeland Security agents, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, have been told to be ready to protect federal property in Washington if there is unrest on or after Election Day, two DHS officials told NBC News.
The agency is regularly tasked with providing additional security around the nation’s capital on inauguration days, but has never stepped in to quell unrest on Election Day. The unprecedented step is in response to nationwide protests and attacks on federal property seen this year, the officials said.
ICE, CBP, and the Federal Protective Service are part of the “Protecting American Communities Task Force,” established in June through an executive order by President Trump in response to “anarchists and left-wing extremists” who he said sought to damage monuments and federal buildings.