California Attorney General Rob Bonta today filed an amicus brief in support of D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s unlawful deployment of National Guard troops to the District of Columbia. Attorney General Bonta and Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown led a coalition of 22 attorneys general in asserting that the deployment of National Guard troops without the consent of D.C. is unlawful, unconstitutional, and undemocratic. Domestic use of the military has long been recognized as antithetical to American values. While California and D.C. were the first places subjected to unlawful federalized deployments, President Trump has made clear that this is the beginning — not the end — of the military occupation of American cities. In the brief, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition urge the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to grant a preliminary injunction and make clear that the Constitution prohibits the use of soldiers as local law enforcement.

“The President continues to use National Guard servicemembers to carry out his own personal political agenda — recklessly tearing down two-and-a-half-centuries of guardrails that have prevented the military from occupying American streets,” said Attorney General Bonta. “This is not a President who cares about public safety; instead, President Trump has undermined it at every turn, sending National Guard troops with no training to engage in civilian law enforcement and pulling them away from their work fighting wildfires and engaging in counter-drug enforcement at the border. I am proud to stand with 22 attorneys general in support of D.C.’s lawsuit, as my office continues to fight the unlawful federalization and deployment of military troops in California.”