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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is aiming to get ahead of a planned demonstration in America, “tracking reports of a potential convoy” amid several Canadian truck protests against COVID mandates.
The agency “is tracking reports of a potential convoy that may be planning to travel to several U.S. cities,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Wednesday.
The department has “not observed specific calls for violence within the United States associated with this convoy, and (is) working closely with our federal, state and local partners to continuously assess the threat environment and keep our communities safe.”
A Homeland Security vehicle late in the day in Lower Manhattan. (iStock)
“DHS will continue to share timely and actionable information with the public,” the spokesperson added.
A report by Yahoo News said the agency is warning U.S. law enforcement and public safety officials that a trucker convoy protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates, similar to those taking place in Canada, could begin Feb. 13, the same day Super Bowl LVI is played in Los Angeles.
The warning, according to certain senior law enforcement officials and documents obtained by the outlet, revealed that “the convoy could severely disrupt transportation, federal government and law enforcement operations through gridlock and potential counterprotests” as truckers make their way across the United States.
Trucks sit parked on Wellington Street near the Parliament Buildings as truckers and their supporters take part in a convoy to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Jan. 29, 2022. (REUTERS/Patrick Doyle)
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DHS has worked for more than a year with law enforcement partners to provide 500 individuals from across the department to support security measures at the Super Bowl, according to a U.S. official.
Protesters walk with bags past trucks parked on downtown streets on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Ottawa, Ontario. Thousands of protesters railing against vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions descended on the capital, deliberately blocking traffic around Parliament Hill. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
News of a potential American protest comes on the 13th day of the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa, where truck drivers are advocating for an end to the government’s vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has demanded that the protests end.
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Ottawa Police have issued more than 1,300 tickets since the beginning of the occupation.
Fox News’ Lisa Bennatan contributed to this article.
