Westchester Insider Westchester County Board of Legislators: PUBLIC STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERAL MILITARY DEPLOYMENT IN LOS ANGELES.

 

LEGISLATORS ISSUE STATEMENT REGARDING

FEDERAL MILITARY DEPLOYMENT AGAINST PROTESTORS IN CALIFORNIA

The Majority Democratic Caucus of the Westchester County Board of Legislators strongly opposes the Trump administration's unprecedented deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles since Friday. This action represents a dangerous overreach of federal power that undermines constitutional principles and threatens basic civil liberties.

The administration has deployed military forces against citizens exercising their right to peaceful protest without demonstrating the extraordinary circumstances that would justify such measures. This decision is clearly motivated by politics rather than genuine public safety concerns.

Even more egregious is the administration's exploitation of a legal loophole to commandeer California's own National Guard, forcing them to act under federal direction against the express wishes of the state's governor. This unprecedented federal seizure of state military forces violates the fundamental balance of power between states and the federal government that protects states from federal overreach. The last time a president deployed the National Guard against a governor's wishes was in 1965 when President Johnson sent troops to Alabama—to protect civil rights demonstrators, not suppress them.

We call for immediate respect for the Constitution and established democratic norms. The broad authorization to deploy troops wherever immigration-related protests might occur sets a dangerous precedent. This includes peaceful demonstrations and directly threatens every American's right to speak out against their government.

This deployment crosses the line between civilian law enforcement and military control of American streets. We stand with Governor Hochul and Attorney General James in calling for this decision to be reversed and urging all elected leaders to stand up and defend the constitutional rights that protect every American's freedom to assemble and speak out.