1. United States
2. Neb.
3. Letter

I write to express my grave concern over the Trump administration’s escalating use of the National Guard in our cities. This militarization of domestic public safety is deeply troubling and fundamentally contrary to constitutional governance. On August 25, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order requiring each state’s National Guard to be “resourced, trained, organized and available to assist federal, state and local law enforcement in quelling civil disturbances,” and directed creation of a “quick reaction force” for rapid nationwide deployment. This represents a disturbing shift: from disaster response to normalized urban policing. Retired Major General Randy Manner—former Acting Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau—warns this move is “unneeded and also very dangerous” He argues the Guard is being diverted from disaster relief and essential operations to an unfit law enforcement role and cautions it is “not what our National Guard is trained to do” Moreover, he cautions that such deployments suppress free speech and undermine states’ rights. Retired Maj. Gen. David Baldwin, former commander of California’s National Guard, echoed similar concerns: federalizing the Guard undermines its effectiveness and coordination with state and local law enforcement. The ACLU condemns these deployments as a "brazen abuse of power" orchestrated under a "phony emergency," designed to intimidate communities—especially Black, Brown, and unhoused residents—in the nation’s capital. In particular, deploying armed out-of-state Guardsmen and federal agents risks severe civil rights violations. Despite administration claims of rising urban chaos, crime in Washington, DC is actually at a 30-year low, yet 800 National Guard troops were deployed, and the DC police brought under federal control. In Los Angeles, thousands of Guardsmen and active-duty Marines were deployed after largely peaceful protests—without a request from Governor Newsom—and faced court challenges over legal authority. Retired military leaders warn that using Marines and Guardsmen in this way jeopardizes military neutrality and troop morale, and risks serious harm to civilians. In closing, the deployment of military forces in our cities: * Sets a dangerous precedent of normalizing an armed presence in everyday civilian life. * Undermines constitutional norms, civil rights, and local governance. * Risks militarizing public safety and eroding public trust. I respectfully demand that you: * Publicly oppose further militarized deployments of the National Guard for domestic law enforcement. * Support legislative efforts to reaffirm civilian control over policing and restrict military involvement in domestic matters. * Press for accountability measures protecting civil liberties, including oversight, transparency, and legal recourse.