ACLU-D.C. Responds to Hegseth’s Order to Arm National Guard Troops in D.C.

In response to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today ordering National Guard troops to carry firearms while patrolling D.C. streets, Monica Hopkins, Executive Director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia, said:

“The president relied on a phony emergency as an excuse to overstep his power, and now we have a real emergency – the threat of an unnecessary and disorienting flood of armed military forces on D.C. streets.

Let’s be clear: military troops have no place policing civilians in the United States. Now, the people of D.C. face a dangerous escalation with armed National Guard troops patrolling our streets. Reports have indicated that troops may be carrying guns that have been banned by several law enforcement agencies for firing without anyone ever pulling a trigger.

What makes the situation even more troubling is that the government has offered little to no details about the Guards’ mission and the rules governing it. Indeed, the President has said that he wants to let cops to do “whatever the hell they want”; he may expect the military to follow a similar mandate. The statements the government has made, and the ones it has not, leave the people of D.C., at best, in the dark about the power to be exercised by the military personnel on our streets.

As the number and origin of National Guards from other states continues to grow, the people of D.C. should have clear information on:

• The scope of the Guards’ mission;
• The rules the Guards are using to decide when they can use force;
• The training troops have received for this mission and on the use of force standards;
• How Guard members will be held accountable if they abuse their power; and
• How this flood of troops will end.

It is unclear whether National Guard troops themselves know the answers to these questions. At a minimum, all forces and civilians must know what National Guard troops are allowed to do and what they are not allowed to do.

And while standards and training on the use of force are disturbingly unclear, what is clear is that the United States Constitution still applies. No matter what uniform they wear, federal agents and military troops are bound by the Constitution, including our rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of speech, due process, and safeguards against unlawful searches and seizures. If troops or federal agents violate our rights, they must be held accountable.”