When one thinks of law enforcement in the nation’s capital, several agencies jump to mind: the local police, the F.B.I., the Secret Service.
Now, there is the Diplomatic Security Service.
It is not the most likely of crime-busting outfits to take to the streets of Washington. The agency specializes in tasks involving global diplomacy, such as providing protection for the secretary of state, conducting background security checks of State Department employees and potential hires, and helping secure U.S. embassies and consulates.
But its officers are now doing beat-cop work in Washington. They are deployed in the city alongside police officers and other federal agents in what President Trump says is a crackdown on crime. Many residents call it theatrical nonsense aimed at scoring political points with voters who know little about Washington.
At least one diplomatic security officer played a leading role in the nighttime arrest on Aug. 19 of Mark Bigelow, 28, a part-time delivery driver for Amazon who was arrested on a charge of having an open container of alcohol, which was in a van.
A diplomatic security officer, Adam Kapettanis, worked with counterparts from other agencies to try putting a handcuffed Mr. Bigelow into a law enforcement vehicle, but Mr. Bigelow resisted, according to an F.B.I. agent’s affidavit in court documents. Mr. Bigelow kicked Mr. Kapettanis in the leg, the text said, citing that as an element in charging Mr. Bigelow with resisting and assaulting federal officers, which carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison.
Elizabeth Mullin, a federal public defender representing Mr. Bigelow, told the court that Mr. Bigelow “was caught up in this federal occupation of D.C.” — a reference to Mr. Trump’s new policy — and that “this was a case created by federal law enforcement.”
When asked on Monday whether the Diplomatic Security Service was playing a role in Mr. Trump’s actions on Washington, the State Department said in a statement to The New York Times that the security service was “actively partnering with the Metropolitan Police Department and other law enforcement to provide interagency support in the ongoing mission to deter and reduce crime in the District of Columbia.”
It added that “consistent with standard practice, D.S.S. routinely assesses its priorities and job functions based on the administration’s strategic interests, while maintaining our mission to lead worldwide security and law enforcement efforts, and to protect State Department people, property and information in 170+ countries and 30+ U.S. cities.”
At least one federal judge in Washington has expressed anger at the overreach by federal agents in the arrests they have been making in Washington.
The State Department’s security service has also been working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in American cities to try to detain noncitizens and deport them. In February, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, deputized up to 600 diplomatic security agents to help with “arresting and deporting illegal immigrants.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has tried to help deport noncitizens who are in the country legally, most notably people who have expressed pro-Palestinian points of view. Federal judges have rebuked him for trying to strip away green cards and visas of people for expressing political opinions, and have ordered those detainees to be released.
The Diplomatic Security Service has more than 2,500 employees worldwide, according to the State Department website. A history page has details on precursor outfits from the American Revolution to the early 20th century. The modern service was established after World War II, as the United States embraced its superpower status, and eventually expanded its duties to include counterespionage, counterterrorism and protecting top foreign officials visiting the United States. Its officers can carry firearms.
A government document from 2009 quoted a Justice Department official saying diplomatic security officers can make arrests based on visa and passport fraud charges. The State Department affirmed in a statement on Tuesday that the officers can make arrests and serve arrest warrants.
The service’s operations sometimes come under criticism from other State Department employees. For instance, some Asian American diplomats have accused officers in the unit of unfairly suspecting diplomats with that ethnic background of being potential espionage threats. The service has denied that ethnicity plays a role in its determinations.
Devlin Barrett and Michael Crowley contributed reporting.
Edward Wong reports on global affairs, U.S. foreign policy and the State Department for The Times.
The post State Department Agents Join Trump’s Deployment in D.C. appeared first on New York Times.
