ACLU Comment on Trump Threat to Invoke Insurrection Act

NEW YORK — In response to President Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy the military in response to protests against police brutality and structural racism, ACLU National Security Project Director Hina Shamsi issued the following statement:

“Invoking the Insurrection Act is unnecessary, and deploying more federal troops to suppress dissent would be irresponsible and dangerous. No level-headed governor is asking for an even more militarized response to civilian protests against police brutality and systemic racism — for good reason. There are already many reports of civilian police and some state National Guard forces engaging in serious abuses, and the deployment of military personnel, who are generally not trained for civilian law enforcement, only escalates the risks. This president must not cause the country and its people even more harm.”