WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) released the following statement on the Trump administration’s deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in California to push his political agenda. 

Statement from DAGA Co-Chairs Delaware AG Kathy Jennings and Illinois AG Kwame Raoul:  

“We are deeply concerned about President Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in Los Angeles without the consent of the state’s governor or the city’s mayor. As state attorneys general, upholding the law is our primary responsibility; we support the right to protest peacefully and condemn any and all acts of violence.   

“But instead of demonstrating leadership during a time of tension, the president is trying to escalate and inflame the situation by deploying the National Guard. The federal government should be working with state officials to ensure public safety instead of abusing the National Guard to serve Trump’s own agenda and taking this extreme measure without California’s cooperation.   

“Rather than protecting law enforcement, President Trump is redirecting federal resources away from pursuing dangerous criminals through his immigration policies, and he’s putting law enforcement in harm’s way by intentionally inflaming this situation. This isn’t even the first time he’s placed his own political agenda above supporting police, as we saw when he pardoned and commuted the sentences of violent Jan. 6 insurrectionists. And his administration’s threats to use active duty military against citizens on US soil are reprehensible and deeply un-American.  

“President Trump’s immigration policies have caused great distress in communities across the nation, and his administration’s immigration enforcement processes are engaging in bad-faith practices towards immigrants actively complying with reporting and other legal requirements. While Trump claims people with criminal backgrounds are the ones being targeted, we’ve seen many with no criminal background being ripped away from their families without due process – a fundamental American value.  

“President Trump may not care about the safety of everyday Americans, but as Democratic AGs, we will continue to stand by law enforcement to protect everyone, no matter their political affiliation or where they call home. We call on the president to work with state attorneys general, governors, other elected officials, and law enforcement to de-escalate this situation and work toward immigration solutions that actually put the safety of Americans first.” 

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