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Judge limits feds’ use of weapons against anti-ICE protesters in Portland
(www.politico.com)
Simon, an Obama appointee, is the fourth judge to restrict DHS officials’ crowd control tactics during enforcement operations that the administration has launched in Democrat-run cities. Judges in Minneapolis, Chicago and Los Angeles issued similar orders, though each was later blocked by appellate courts. Simon’s order, which will be in effect for 14 days but could be extended, prohibits DHS agents from using “chemical or projectile munitions” at the site “unless the specific target of such a weapon or device poses an imminent threat of physical harm to a law enforcement officer or other person.” The judge also forbade DHS personnel from firing any type of weapon “at the head, neck, or torso of any person, unless the officer is legally justified in using deadly force against that person.”
I feel like it's always important to remind people every time there is a mention of the chemical weapons used as crowd control (pepper spray and tear gas) by DHS, the weapons are manufactured by Safariland LLC. I'm really glad to see a judge using the rule of law, but also can't blame people for being skeptical that the most lawless bastards you know will probably ignore the ruling or find a way around a judge's orders like they have in the past. The next time chemical weapons are used against a crowd, if you would like to make a complaint to somebody that may care, the owner of the company that manufacturers these weapons is Cadre Holdings/Defense Tech/Safariland.
Safariland's motto is literally "Together, We Save Lives®" and the owner of the company, Warren Kanders does seem to care about his name being directly associated with use of the weapons he sells. He's never bothered to stop selling them, but he has repeatedly performed Olympic worthy gymnastics over the years to try and distance himself from those weapons while continuing to profit from their sales.
The scandal of his association actually forced Kanders to resign his seat on the board of the Whitney museum of art in 2019, but he has continued to find his own work arounds to profit from the weapons while claiming to have no responsibility or control over how they are used.
Since resigning from the board and facing further public scrutiny during the George Floyd protests, his company, Safariland, claimed to divest holdings in the manufacturer Defense Tech, but actually just shuffled some paperwork around, created some new LLCs with some new names and continued to manufacture and profit from the weapons being used for crowd control.
In December of 2025, Forbes revealed he now holds a new role as a private defense contractor working for the Trump administration and focusing on nuclear cleanup (because safety is the number one priority at the heart of all of his LLCs):Meet The Former Banker Who Is Now A Private Defense Billionaire
A few weeks ago, Forbes published a follow up article regarding Kanders and Safariland, which clarified that while Safariland is indeed still the manufacturer of the teargas, it is now being sold to two private companies, which then sell the tear gas to DHS.
The Men Making Millions Selling Pepper Spray To ICE
Safariland, owned by billionaire Warren Kanders, remains the number one supplier of pepper spray and tear gas to ICE and CBP, via a large federal distributor run by a MAGA-aligned former Marine... Quantico Tactical, a weapons and armor distributor based in Aberdeen, North Carolina, is by far the biggest supplier of chemical weapons to ICE and CBP during Trump’s second term, per contracting records. Founded by North Carolina-based David Hensley
Safariland also sells equipment through ADS, or Atlantic Diving Supply, founded by Virginia Beach-based Luke Hillier. It has sold over $400,000 in pepper spray and tear gas to ICE and CBP since Trump returned to the White House. As Forbes previously reported, ADS is one of ICE’s biggest suppliers of military and AI technologies more generally, including Skydio drones, body armor, guns and ammunition. Compared to Hensley and Kanders, Hillier has kept a low profile and has no known political affiliations.
The trio of businesses may not be in for such significant windfalls in 2026, if the political winds shift against ICE. After Pretti’s killing, Democratic lawmakers in Congress have rallied to vote against a budget boost that would grant ICE another $10 billion for the fiscal year ahead.
•President of Safariland/Cadre Holdings, Brad Williams reports directly to Kanders.
In addition to manufacturing the chemical weapons being used on protestors, Kanders' position as a defense contractor means he likely has a much better chance of getting the president's ear than any plebian with a complaint about use of tear gas against peaceful protestors (including children as of this week). As of January 2025, Williams could be reached by email at williams.brade@gmail.com or at his Safariland email brad.williams@safariland.com