For those wanting the story about where DHS's domestic intelligence office more or less stands today, here's the rundown: "How DHS Laid the Groundwork for More Intelligence Abuse"

www.justsecurity.org/108152/how-d...

Remember: The post-September 11 national security environment was designed to be resilient against any sensible safeguards and restrictions against the oversharing of sensitive or bad data. This DHS intelligence agency and many others act as loopholes.

These loopholes need closing.

See also a fresh analysis by my colleague Matt Ruppert and me on the limits and shortcomings of Illinois sanctuary laws, which this DHS intelligence agency can bypass on behalf of ICE:

www.justsecurity.org/124069/defen...

This agency's been at the heart of DHS's domestic spying for years. It wrote dossiers on activists in Portland in 2020. It entered (enters?) jails to collect intelligence on people in coercive conditions.

Its newest leader has floated unlawful intel activities:

www.justsecurity.org/116094/dhs-i...

Local politicians who talk about standing up to federal overreach and protecting their residents' First Amendment rights should seriously consider doing that. They are in control of their resources and choose how to use them.

The Tenth Amendment gives states the power to opt out of this support. In 2020, Portland's city council kicked federal agents out of the police bureau. Local governments can also cut off the pipeline to massive amounts of local intelligence, identity information (like at the DMV), and so on.

Homeland security agents presently benefit enormously from assistance of local police. They get physical resources such as state and local law enforcement on the streets. That's happened in Broadview. But they also get data, access to facilities, and so on to augment their investigations.

And participated heavily in Washington, DC:

www.justsecurity.org/119227/trump...

The agency led operations this summer in Los Angeles:

time.com/7307963/trum...

The main federal agency to go after protestors is the Dept. of Homeland Security's property protection unit, which just yesterday doubled down on its promise to go after protestors well off federal property. It also deploys aggressive border patrol and ICE agents.

www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

Sanctuary laws are local choices to opt out of helping the feds enforce federal law. They're not active obstruction, despite White House complaining.

Courts, including recently in Illinois, uphold the principle under the Tenth Amendment.

I explain further: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

My report on the agency and its easily weaponized mandate to protect federal buildings:

www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Obviously, to anyone paying attention, the risks to First Amendment rights are significant—especially in light of the White House’s directives that paint political dissent as “Antifa terrorism.”

FPS and the homeland security agents it oversees will be key players in implementing that agenda.

But most concerning is a DHS legal memo @marisakabas.bsky.social revealed last month. DHS asserts its officers can work wherever offsite, even entering into private homes. The sky’s the limit with some asserted federal property connection.

www.thehandbasket.co/p/dhs-fps-me...

The new regulation also makes it easier for homeland security agents to target people wearing masks or engaging in “nuisance” off federal property. The pretextual dangers are obvious.

And it relies on unproven, hyperbolic statements that “threats” to ICE are up by 1000%.

The regulation directs the little known Federal Protective Service to work off federal property. FPS is the agency that has led protest crackdowns in LA, Chicago, and Portland. FPS allows DHS to flood the streets with border patrol and ICE to target protestors. See: time.com/7307963/trum...