Freelance photojournalist Mathieu Lewis-Rolland, while wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the word “Press,” snapped this photo on July 12 during protests in Portland, Oregon. A short time later, a Federal Protective Service officer shot at him 10 times with hard-plastic bullets. The photo is included as part of his declaration filed in federal court in an ACLU lawsuit focused on law-enforcement abuses.

Trump Administration Continues to Obscure the Role of Private Contractors in Protest Clampdown

Congress is now probing the use of contract security personnel in law enforcement operations led by DOJ and DHS

A rolling deployment of federal law enforcement forces underway in this country since June has been making headlines nationwide because of the “shock and awe” show of force it has unleashed on this nation’s streets. The federal officers, many clad in camouflage, riot gear and trained in special operations tactics, have been sent into American cities under orders from President Trump.

They are being directed by Attorney General William Barr in coordination with Chad Wolf, the acting head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). These law enforcement chiefs claim the show of federal policing power that has been assembled in recent months in major urban areas like Washington, D.C.; Portland, Oregon; Kansas City, Missouri — and more recently Seattle, Albuquerque and Chicago — is part of a coordinated effort to stem a rising tide of street violence being perpetrated by common criminals and radical leftist protesters.

Trump asserts that the cities themselves have been unable or unwilling to address the unrest and criminal conduct. Future plans call for…