What the OP says. Let’s keep it in FQ, please.
Wouldn’t the FBI have the authority, unless they were instructed to stand down by the president.
Hmmmm, maybe the U.S. Marshalls. Would they actually do it in current circumstances, though?
But the question I believe is who can, not who will.
Wouldn’t pretty much any law enforcement agency down to even the local police have the ability to block unauthorised persons from trespassing on property the rightful occupier has legitimately barred them from entering?
I suspect the real issue is “does DOGE have authority to enter” not “which law enforcement agency has authority to prevent persons from entering government premises that those persons are not authorised to enter”.
That’s absolutely the real issue. Because nobody has the authority to stop or remove anyone from a government agency’s building if someone of a high enough rank has decided to let them in. And that’s almost certainly what happened - none of the reporting says they forced their way in. They are apparently being given computer access and email addresses- that didn’t happen because some IT person decided to take orders from someone they’ve never seen before and the same goes for whoever let them in the building. They were following the directions of someone who had the authority to give that direction.
The Federal Protective Service has always done the security in our buildings and for our staff.
Local police aren’t going to have jurisdiction on federal property.
I think the FQ answer is “lots of them, but all the ones that can are under federal control.”
This.
The FPS handles security for most buildings owned or leased by the federal government. These are armed guards who will not let you into the lobby (or in some cases, even into the parking lot) unless you have a badge that gets you through the locked door/gate, or an appointment with an employee working on site (confirmed by a quick phone call from FPS to said employee). I seem to recall that they have the local city police on speed dial in case a situation arises that requires a large armed response.
If DOGE personnel have access to a federally owned/leased building and/or its systems, it’s because someone who works there chose to let them in and/or grant them access to those systems - either of their own volition, or because they were ordered to do so by someone who has authority over them.
In theory, could local/state police surround a Federal building in a wide enough circle that they would have jurisdiction? (Less practical in D.C., of course.)
Thanks. I haven’t been a Fed in 30+ years, so I forgot about them.
Expecting an Executive Order to allow DOGE allowed in any government office.
[Moderating]
I don’t think there’s really a factual answer to this question. Moving to P&E.
This is the key.
These departments are all, ultimately, under the control of Trump, via his picks for the various cabinet positions. These people have both the legal responsibility and authority over these departments.
When the new Secretary of Whatever tells the staff to let these people in, and they have security clearances signed by the president, anyone who does try to stop them is at a minimum in trouble for not following orders, and likely to get fired, and might even end up with criminal charges (take a look at what Musk is tweeting about everything being a “crime” whenever someone tweets about DOGE).
“Elections have Consequences.” Well, this is the consequence - these people have the legal power to do what they’re doing.
Although a few posters have mentioned the Federal Protective Service’s role in securing federal buildings, the Secret Service secures the Treasury headquarters. For most of its history, the Secret Service was part of the Treasury department and their job was to protect the money supply and prevent counterfeiting, which is a role it still has. Although the Secret Service became part of the Department of Homeland Security after 9/11, they retained their role securing the Department of the Treasury. They would be the people to exclude the DOGE employees from Treasury specifically. I’m certain the DOGE people didn’t just walk in without authorization from top people at Treasury.
So now that we aren’t in FQ anymore (which maybe isn’t such a bad thing), I guess I can ask - what happens if a judge issues an order for all DOGE personnel to leave Treasury property, or any other Federal agency property? Who are the Secret Service or the Federal Protective Service going to listen to? Or are we simply not going to know until it happens?
That would be my bet.
Musk et al. can reasonably expect a pardon if they get arrested, but as the recent developments in the FBI show, agents who oppose this crap will likely be targeted.
That’s going to be an interesting day.
I keep waiting for some head of a law enforcement agency to come out with a public written statement like the Joint Chiefs of Staff did during Trump’s first term, in which they reminded the public that they swore an oath to defend the Constitution, not the President. Because that’s a totally normal thing for military top brass to feel the need to do…
I suspect you (and others) are conflating:
“law enforcement agencies that usually protect Federal premises/have particular authority on Federal Premises”
with
“law enforcement agencies that could stop a crime on Federal premises”.
Are you (and others) saying that if a crime is in progress on Federal premises a local cop couldn’t intervene if asked? Because unless your answer to that is “no they could not intervene” then what I suggested is correct.
I don’t actually know the answer to that question, which is part of why I posted in the first place. I am sure there are plenty of law enforcement people who are not on board with what is going on but believe they are powerless to do anything about it.