1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

The president's deployment of U.S. Marines to the city of Los Angeles is an egregious violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the use of federal military personnel for domestic law enforcement purposes. This alarming move sets a dangerous precedent that undermines civil liberties and blurs the line between military and police roles. As the brief detention of Army veteran Marcos Leao demonstrates, having armed troops patrol American cities risks confrontations with civilians simply going about their daily lives. Even though this was said by a fictional character in a 20 year old science fiction show, the sentiment is still accurate: "There's a reason you separate the military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people." I urge an immediate withdrawal of these troops and a reaffirmation of our nation's commitment to upholding constitutional rights and civilian control of the military.