Video has been making its rounds on social media of armed agents on Detroit's west side Tuesday, drawing concerns from local protest groups following President Trump's threat to send federal agents to quell demonstrations, which for the most part have been peaceful in the city.
The video was posted on the Detroit Will Breathe social media accounts with concerns that the officers were sent to intervene in local protests similar to recent events in Portland, Oregon.
The agents were spotted in the parking lot of a strip mall on Seven Mile and Evergreen. The officers have been identified as DEA agents who were in the area serving a warrant. They were not assisting local police with protesters, a DEA spokesperson told 7 Action News.
The woman who recorded the video can be heard asking the officers to identify themselves and provide their badge numbers. The officers did not respond to the woman's request.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel condemned Trump's threats to send federal agents to Detroit.
"It is deeply disturbing that President Trump is once again choosing to spread hateful rhetoric and attempting to suppress the voices of those he doesn't agree with," Whitmer said. "Quite frankly, the president doesn't know the first thing about Detroit. If he did, he would know that for nearly two months now, Detroiters have gathered to peacefully protest the systemic racism and discrimination that Black Americans face every day. There is no reason for the president to send federal troops into a city where people are demanding change peacefully and respectfully. If the president actually wants to help the people of Michigan, he can start by picking up the phone and telling Mitch McConnell to pass the HEROES Act, so we can provide immediate relief to Michigan's families, schools, and small businesses.""It is deeply disturbing that President Trump is once again choosing to spread hateful rhetoric and attempting to suppress the voices of those he doesn't agree with," said Governor Whitmer. "Quite frankly, the president doesn't know the first thing about Detroit. If he did, he would know that for nearly two months now, Detroiters have gathered to peacefully protest the systemic racism and discrimination that Black Americans face every day. There is no reason for the president to send federal troops into a city where people are demanding change peacefully and respectfully. If the president actually wants to help the people of Michigan, he can start by picking up the phone and telling Mitch McConnell to pass the HEROES Act, so we can provide immediate relief to Michigan's families, schools, and small businesses."
