1. United States
2. S.C.
3. Letter

Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests in Minneapolis caused by ICE-initiated violence and lawbreaking, which he and his administration are to be blamed for. Now he wants to misuse of one of the most dangerous and least constrained emergency powers in federal law, yet another link in the long chain of his authoritarian, extra-legal and unconstitutional actions since taking office less than 1 year ago. I urge you to act immediately by: • Clarifying and narrowing the statutory definition of “insurrection” • Requiring time limits and automatic congressional approval for continued deployments • Mandating public findings and transparency prior to invocation • Refuse to funding appropriations for DHS • Introducing or supporting introduction of articles of impeachment for Donald Trump, JD Vance, Kristi Noem, and Pam Bondi, all of whom are guilty of misuse of domestic military deployments and DHS agents, and of authorizing and excusing behaviors that break and ignore existing immigration law, our fourth amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure, and our fifth amendment rights to due process. Conditions for Insurrection Act are not present in Minnesota. There is no insurrection or widespread violence making it impossible to enforce federal law, and the state has explicitly asked ICE to leave, clearly indicating that they able and willing to protect constitutional rights. There are only people expressing their constitutional rights to protest and free speech. Any violence or destruction of property is an outlier and is in DIRECT response to violence initiated by ICE, which we have all seen in firsthand videos in multiple instances around the country. This act does allow the president to deploy federal troops domestically with no statutory time limit and minimal procedural safeguards. That combination—broad discretion, weak guardrails, and indefinite duration—is precisely why congressional oversight is essential. Congress is the only branch with the authority to impose prospective limits, and to pass bipartisan immigration reform. You have been derelict in your constitutionally sworn duty in failing to do either and allowing the executive branch to abuse its power and our communities. Don’t make this mistake with the Insurrection Act—act now to limit executive authority and prevent unnecessary invocation.