Eleven retired senior military officers warned in a Tuesday court filing about the downsides of the Trump administration's deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles earlier this year.
Why it matters: The generals warned about President Trump's politicization of the National Guard as law enforcement and its harm to the "cohesiveness and reputation" of the military.
- "Deployment of the military within our country's borders to be used against its population is not only contrary to core American values, but can also be harmful to the reputation, integrity, and morale of the military itself," they wrote in the amicus briefing in the case between Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
- The military must remain a nonpartisan institution for recruitment and retention, they emphasized.
Catch up quick: Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles in response to anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests earlier this year.
- A federal judge ruled last month that the administration illegally instructed the National Guard to perform law enforcement activities.
- The Trump administration has since deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C. and threatened it on other U.S. cities.
Between the lines: Nearly half of U.S. adults in June polling disapproved of Trump's deployment of the National Guard and Marines in response to Los Angeles protests.
- "This disapproval from fellow Americans can only exacerbate feelings of isolation and low morale for the military deployed," the Tuesday filing said.
The bottom line: The retired generals urged the court system to hold the Trump administration accountable for its deployment of the military.
- "The federalization of the California National Guard and deployment of federal forces to Los Angeles against the will of state and local authorities should give any supporter of the military and military members pause," they wrote.
- "Due to strong legal and moral constraints, such actions have occurred rarely in the history of this country, and that must continue to remain the case."
Go deeper: National Guard illegally performed law enforcement in LA, judge rules
Read the full filing here:
