- The Department of Homeland Security has sent 500 extra staff to California ahead of the Super Bowl.
- The move intends to prevent disruption to the event from planned Freedom Convoy protests.
- The planned protests are expected to mirror demonstrations in Canada, France, and elsewhere.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sent 500 extra staff to California to prevent disruptions to the Super Bowl in anticipation of trucker protests.
White House secretary Jen Psaki explained the decision in a Friday press conference.
Paski said: "On reports that this convoy is causing disruptions at the Super Bowl, the Department of Homeland Security […] is surging additional staff to its incident command post."
Demonstrations of an American Freedom Convoy began in Canada late last month, as truckers drove to the country's capital, Ottawa, to protest COVID-19 lockdown measures and vaccine mandates in the country.
The protests have since spread to other cities in Canada and attracted groups of supporters who are also at odds with the vaccine mandates.
It has inspired similar demonstrations in other countries, including France and New Zealand.
On Saturday, Canadian police cleared out Freedom Convoy protesters who were blocking the busiest bridge on the US-Canadian border for the past five days. But their efforts failed as the bridge remained blocked throughout the evening, per Canadian media reports.
US federal officials warned that a similar convoy could disrupt the Super Bowl on Sunday.
During the press conference, Psaki said DHS forces were working with California Highway Patrol, the LAPD, state and local authorities, to minimize the effects of the protests.
"They're taking all necessary steps to ensure that the convoy does not disrupt lawful trade and transportation or interfere with federal government and law enforcement operations," Psaki said.
According to Psaki, the additional 500 DHS personnel are "providing extensive air and maritime security resources."