Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Wednesday he had deputized border control agents to work in national parks to support the White House’s show of military and police force in the nation’s capitol.
Burgum announced the “service-wide” deputization of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers on the social media site X but offered scant details on the move. He said border agents would work with U.S. Park Police to “intensify crime deterrence efforts” at National Park Service sites.
“Thank you to these brave officers who are working 24/7 to enforce@POTUS‘ directive to make D.C. safe again!” Burgum wrote.
The secretary, a former Republican governor and computer software executive, had previously promised to leverage Park Police in support of President Donald Trump’s decision to take over Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department and deploy members of the National Guard, FBI agents and other federal law enforcement personnel in the city.
