What’s Breaking Through About National Guard Deployments

President Trump has deployed troops domestically to further his political aims, a stark departure from how the American military and federal law enforcement have been traditionally used.

First, it happened in Los Angeles, when he deployed the California National Guard and Marines in June, taking command of the state National Guard from the governor and citing protests to justify the unprecedented move. Then, in August, he deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., sent federal agents to patrol its streets, and attempted to take over the local police department. This time he used local crime as his excuse.

These federal interventions immediately caused confusion, as local law enforcement struggled to determine the correct chain of command. Residents also raised concerns about a growing military presence, as the troops engage in activities local law enforcement typically handles.

In light of Trump’s actions, states have sent their National Guard troops elsewhere without an invitation from local leaders—which is far from the norm. In D.C., for example, the governors of at least six other states sent their state’s National Guard members in response to a request from the Trump administration. Some states have declined this request. More than 2,000 National Guard members are now patrolling the nation’s capital. Their deployment will last through at least November.

The president has said the deployments will continue, threatening to deploy the military to several more cities throughout the country in the coming months.

At the same time, the administration has also cut $158 million for community-led programs that have been proven to reduce crime, slashing more than half of all federal funding. Those programs were funded through bipartisan legislation passed by Congress.

These deployments are facing legal challenges.

On Sept. 2, a federal judge found the use of the National Guard in Los Angeles was “willfully” illegal, ruling that the troops should not be used for civilian law enforcement activities. The judge warned that the president was “creating a national police force with the President as its chief.” The Trump administration will appeal that ruling.

On Sept. 4, D.C. sued the Trump administration over the National Guard deployment, arguing it violates the Home Rule Act—the cornerstone federal law of D.C.’s self-governance. Attorneys general from several states have supported D.C. in its lawsuit.

Here is what’s breaking through about recent National Guard’s deployments:

• Deploying the military in our communities, and using federal agents as police, is not needed. National Guard members should not be patrolling our streets.
  • These are military officers and FBI agents patrolling the streets. They don’t know these communities. They aren’t trained for this. They have different weapons, different training, and different rules about things like use of force.
  • State and local law enforcement know our communities best—not the president, far away in D.C. Public safety is all about community.
  • Members of the military and federal agents are being pulled away from the critical work they are trained for—work we rely on to respond to disasters or pursue heinous crimes like drug and human trafficking. It’s pulling resources away from where they are needed most.
  • When state leaders need federal assistance, they ask. It should not be forced on them.
  • There are already community-led programs in place that have a track record of reducing crime in cities throughout the country. The president has blocked hundreds of millions of dollars that go to them and then decided to deploy troops to fight crime instead. People don’t want armed troops on their streets. They want proven solutions.
• Sending the National Guard and federal law enforcement agents to California and D.C. is just the beginning.
  • Don’t be mistaken: The president is not going to stop. He will come for other communities throughout the country next.
  • He is already threatening to send troops to many other cities.
• Deploying troops isn’t actually about safety. It’s a distraction. 
  • This is an attempt to grab power and change the subject from a string of personally damaging news. While prices increase and people lose their health care coverage, the president is manufacturing a crisis in the capital. 
  • The president is ignoring the realities of local law enforcement’s work to maintain public safety, and the actual facts about how crime rates are falling in cities nationwide. State and local law enforcement have worked hard to accomplish this.
• This is clearly about politics. When the U.S. Capitol was under siege by an unruly mob who assaulted police officers on January 6, 2021, the president refused to send in the National Guard. He stood by and watched the violence unfold because it was done by his supporters. 
  • But now he’s using the military when there is no crime emergency to solve. It’s clear that the president doesn’t care about public safety; he only cares about his own political gain.
  • The president is testing the limits of his power, sending the military into the states for his own political agenda.
• Americans disapprove of deploying the National Guard without the governor’s consent.
  • Less than a quarter of Americans think that Trump should be able to deploy the National Guard in a state without the consent of that state’s governor, according to States United polling.
  • Less than half of Republicans think the president should use the National Guard in this way.