Noteworthy News

[Angrboda]

U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday night after determining that agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Protective Service — all part of DHS — retaliated against journalists covering protests that broke out this year about the Trump administration’s immigration raids in Southern California.

Vera found that DHS agents fired tear gas and other less-lethal rounds — such as rubber bullets and pepper balls — at people who were clearly marked as journalists. The judge noted that plaintiffs brought at least 50 credible claims that agents used crowd-control weapons on journalists, observers and protesters from June 6 to July 10.

“Under the guise of protecting the public, federal agents have endangered large numbers of peaceful protesters, legal observers, and journalists — as well as the public that relies on them to hold their government accountable,” Vera wrote. “The First Amendment demands better.”

A DHS spokesman earlier said the First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly, “not rioting.” Although the government alleged that journalists participated in violent protests, the judge said its attorneys failed to present a “shred” of evidence to support that claim.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/...alists-la/