The DHS Protecting American Communities Task Force – often abbreviated PACT and commonly referred to as the Protecting American Communities Task Force – is a departmental task force of the

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions invol ...

. PACT is mandated to officially coordinate

riot control Riot control is a form of public order policing used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to social control, control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful Demonstration (people), demonstration ...

and

security police Security police usually describes a law enforcement agency which focuses primarily on providing security and law enforcement services to particular areas or specific properties. They may be employed by governmental, public, or private institutio ...

operations to protect monuments, memorials, and federal property, monitor civil unrest, protect civilians from rioting or vandalism, or respond to the destruction of federal property by protesters. PACT was formed on July 1, 2020 in the wake of the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...

under direction of Acting

Secretary of Homeland Security The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the U ...

Chad Wolf Chad Fredrick Wolf (born June 21, 1976) is an American former government official and lobbyist who was named the acting United States secretary of homeland security in November 2019. His appointment was ruled unlawful in November 2020. Wolf was ...

. The task force is also mandated to coordinate its law enforcement efforts with the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

and

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

. PACT has attracted significant controversy and criticism from various media outlets for its operations and alleged goals.

Role and controversy

The task force is officially responsible for coordinating with the Interior and Justice Departments in the deployment of law enforcement personnel to federally operated and owned properties that are believed to be under threat by rioters and vandals. PACT coordinates with the DHS’s subordinate

protective security A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public officials, wealthy business ...

agencies including the

Federal Protective Service Federal Protective Service may refer to: *Federal Protective Service (United States), a U.S. security police force responsible for the security of buildings owned by the U.S. federal government *Federal Protective Service (Russia) The Federal G ...

United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security tasked with conducting criminal investigations and providing protection to American political leaders, thei ...

Immigration and Customs Enforcement The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from transnational crime and ille ...

, Customs and Border Protection, and

Transportation Security Administration The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has authority over the security of transportation systems within and connecting to the United States. It was created ...

. However, the task force has encountered significant criticism due to its role in the

2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States In June 2020, the Trump administration began deploying federal law enforcement forces to select cities in the United States in response to rioting and monument removals amid the George Floyd protests. Federal law enforcement elements were dep ...

alongside

Operation Legend Operation Legend or Operation LeGend was a federal law enforcement operation in the United States initiated by the administration of President Donald Trump. The operation was named after four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed ...

. The task force has been accused by various protesters of defending and protecting monuments depicting individuals with ties to racism and/or slavery. Other liberal and progressive groups and individuals accuse the task force as acting as a secret police force, arresting and confining anyone who protest peacefully against racism, police brutality, and social injustice.

Organization and personnel

The PACT was founded at the direction of Homeland Security Secretary

to co-ordinate security policing efforts with the DHS’s subordinate

agencies in the deployment of Rapid Deployment Teams (RDTs). There is no known estimate about the number of active personnel in the Rapid Deployment Teams or any information with regards to where they are deployed. However, field operations personnel for PACT are drawn from the

, Customs and Border Protection, and

References

{{Reflist United States Department of Homeland Security