Yesterday, the Trump administration took a disturbing step by deploying California’s National Guard against peaceful protesters in Los Angeles.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also threatened to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil, a move that echoes some of the darkest moments in our nation’s history.
These moves are not just an attack on the right to free speech, but also a clear example of the regime’s willingness to use force against its own citizens who disagree with their hateful and divisive policies. Instead, they seek to silence dissent, limit free speech, and override the constitution, as we’ve seen from Trump’s history of trying to blur the lines between military and civilian policing.
We stand in solidarity with Los Angelenos who are speaking out and showing up to protect their communities and using their constitutionally protected free speech.
“Over-policing and the use of cops to terrorize our communities of color is not new in this country, and this particular turn of events takes that horror to a whole new level,” said Alissa Barnes, Executive Director for ProgressNow New Mexico. “It is not lost on the people of this country that the only time in recent history that the national guard has been deployed has been in direct response to actions taken by people of color demanding equal rights and safety from the country they call home.”
A perfect example of this is how quickly Trump sent National Guard troops to L.A. to shut down immigration protests, but did nothing when his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. That contrast is no accident.
Trump and Hegseth’s desire to use the military on civilians has little to do with fixing our broken immigration system or keeping us safe.
Immigration raids have never been about people “doing it the right way” in gaining their citizenship. It’s about tearing apart families, criminalizing identity, and erasing Black and brown people from public life. They invade our homes, restaurants, and fields to terrorize the folks working the hardest with the least.
They don’t fund care. They fund cages. This system was never broken. It was built this way.
The militarization of our communities is not only a threat to immigrant families but to all who cherish the principles of freedom and justice.
We must stand together against the Trump regime’s divisive tactics and protect the rights of all Americans. We must prioritize the well-being of our communities over the regime’s agenda of fear and division and complete, unchecked control over our families.