The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) has issued letters to the governors of Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and South Carolina, urging them to reconsider their reported decisions to deploy National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.
In the letters, LDF challenges President Trump’s false claim of a “crime emergency” in the District, which was cited as justification for the troop deployment. The organisation warns that such actions risk escalating tensions and creating greater unease among residents, who fear intimidation and potential abuse from National Guard members stationed in the city.
The letters also highlight the anti-democratic risks associated with military interference in civilian governance and caution that deploying troops could result in the misuse of millions in taxpayer funds while undermining the civil rights and liberties of D.C. residents.
“President Trump’s heedless call for additional National Guard troops to occupy Washington, D.C. risks the safety of both residents and visitors. Such a militarized show of force, in a city that has the lowest violent crime rate in decades, is an anti-democratic and authoritarian measure meant to stoke fear in D.C. residents and undermine their self-governance through democratically-elected, local leaders,” said LDF Director of Strategic Initiatives Jin Hee Lee. “President Trump is undermining public safety and our democracy, with ripple effects that far exceed the District’s borders. State governors have the duty to use their state’s resources responsibly and wisely, consistent with democratic principles and values. We thus urge the governors to live up to the duties of their office and reverse any decision to deploy their National Guard troops to our nation’s capital.”
