NEWSMAX -- Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told Newsmax on Monday that protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities are becoming more sophisticated and coordinated — and federal agencies are working together to uncover who is bankrolling the unrest.
In an interview on Newsmax's "National Report," McLaughlin detailed how demonstrations in cities across the country are no longer just spontaneous gatherings.
"We're seeing that these protests, whether it be in Portland, whether it be in Los Angeles, whether it be in Chicago, they are becoming increasingly organized. There are people who are being bused in. They're professional protesters. They do this as a full-time job for a living," McLaughlin said. "And so we're following the money. We're working as a whole-of-government approach that President Trump has directed. We're working with the Treasury Department, Homeland Security Investigations, [and] FBI. Who is funding this chaos and violence?"
McLaughlin highlighted a recent flashpoint in Broadview, Illinois, where ICE operates a detention facility. There, she said, agents recovered two firearms from protesters during an incident that could have turned deadly.