This month, the D.C. Attorney General sued the Trump administration for deploying and deputizing National Guard troops to engage in law enforcement activities in Washington, D.C., arguing that the administration exceeded its power under the Home Rule Act, Posse Comitatus Act, and that the deployments violate the Administrative Procedure Act as well as the Separation of Powers, Take Care, and District Clauses of the Constitution.
The National Guard troops lack the proper training to perform local law enforcement functions. Instead, these troops are trained for war and risk escalating situations to result in the unnecessary use of force, violence, and death.
The National Guard’s presence threatens to undermine trust in local law enforcement, decreasing the likelihood that D.C. residents will report crime or cooperate with investigations and increasing the risk of tension and violence between residents and police.
These are just a few of the risks we outline in our amicus brief filed alongside the NYU Policing Project, Law Enforcement Action Partnership, and the Center for Policing Equity. Together, we say: Sending the National Guard to Washington, D.C. endangers its citizens and erodes public trust in the name of public safety.
Read our full amicus brief here.