Capital Files Legal Action to Halt Trump's National Guard Deployment in Washington, D.C.
In the heart of the nation's capital, a contentious issue has arisen regarding the deployment of the National Guard. Brian Schwalb, the district's elected attorney general, has filed a lawsuit claiming the deployment is an illegal use of the military for domestic law enforcement.
The lawsuit contends that the deployment also violates Washington's Home Rule Act, a law that grants the district significant autonomy in governing itself. The lawsuit marks the second legal challenge from Schwalb against the Trump administration since the president asserted control over the city's police department and sent in the Guard.
The deployment now involves more than 1,000 troops in Washington. Councilmember Robert White has expressed reservations about the use of the National Guard from other states in Washington. He has stated that military personnel and officers in the city are seen as oppressors, not protectors, by some residents.
White has also declared that he is not prepared to "capitulate" to the administration's actions in Washington. He urged the D.C. Council, Congress, the mayor, and the district's attorney general to stand against an "authoritarian takeover" of the city.
The National Guard units sent to Washington D.C. came primarily from 19 Republican-governed states. However, it's important to note that Mississippi and West Virginia also sent National Guard troops to Washington D.C., although they were not involved in immigration enforcement operations.
The White House has stated that deploying the Guard to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement is within Trump's authority as president. This stance contrasts with a federal judge's ruling in California, who declared that Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles after protests was illegal.
Members of the D.C. National Guard have had their orders extended through December. Councilmember White has raised concerns about the long-term presence of the Guard, stating that they are there to "catch them, to condemn them, to take away their rights."
Violent crime was on the decline in Washington when Trump intervened with an executive order on Aug. 11. Despite this, the debate continues over the legality and necessity of the National Guard's deployment in the district.
Read also:
- Voting location now active for citizens to cast their ballots.
- Federal clash in California: two legal cases could potentially align, as a notice is published in the Federal Register
- "Local Democrats in the Bronx offering support for Zohran"
- Federalist Society Deserves Gratitude from Trump for Judicial Appointments