What is BORTAC and why is it patrolling the streets of Portland?
By Genevieve Leigh
27 July 2020Workers and youth in the US and around the world have watched with horror in recent days as gangs of heavily armed men, wearing generic camouflage without unit insignias or name tags have used CS tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper bombs, flash bang grenades and sonic weapons that can do permanent physical damage against peaceful protesters.
In the most chilling scenes, captured on video by demonstrators, the unidentified paramilitaries have seized protesters and thrown them into unmarked vans and cars for “questioning.”These squads of federal agents are drawn from a variety of agencies under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). They were deployed at the direction of the agency’s top officials in Washington.
CBP photo - BORTAC Training
Spearheading the attack are agents of a little-known special unit within CBP called BORTAC, short for Border Patrol Tactical Unit.
