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 or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

. PACT is mandated to officially coordinate

riot control Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest. If a riot is spontaneous and irration ...

and

security police Security police officers are employed by or for a governmental agency or corporations to provide security service security services to those properties. Security police protect facilities, properties, personnel, users, visitors and enforce cer ...

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 and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...

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 a former lobbyist and former American government official who was named the acting United States secretary of homeland security in November 2019. His appointment was ruled unlawful in November 2020. Wo ...

. 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 federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

and

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

. 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 a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...

agencies including the Federal Protective Service,

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 charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...

Immigration and Customs Enforcement The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration tha ...

, 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 alongside

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

. 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 Federal Protective Service,

, Customs and Border Protection, and

References

{{Reflist United States Department of Homeland Security