WASHINGTON, DC – Following reports that President Trump has deployed active-duty Marines and the National Guard to American streets, Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC) President Elizabeth Wydra issued this reaction:

Deploying the military against Americans in their own communities is a dangerous, anti-democratic provocation. The law only allows for the president to direct the military to intervene in state and local affairs under extremely rare and limited circumstances, none of which apply here.

Our Constitution protects the fundamental right of all Americans to peacefully protest, and using the military to suppress that right goes against our most basic constitutional principles. President Trump was unwilling to send federal assistance when it was truly needed on January 6, 2021, but is now quick to send troops to peaceful protests of his lawless kidnappings and attacks on immigrant families. This selective deployment sends a disturbing message that Trump is willing to override limits on executive power when it serves his personal agenda, using the military in unprecedented and unlawful ways.