ACLU – September 16, 2025

President Trump and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee are planning to send the National Guard into Memphis.

This is about one thing: seizing power at the expense of our communities. With the Governor’s approval, President Trump would be spending taxpayer dollars to send troops to our streets to police everyday people – something they are not trained to do – putting our communities in harm’s way and troops in legal and ethical jeopardy.

We cannot wait while more state National Guards and federal law enforcement agencies are volunteered up to feed President Trump’s agenda.

Our representatives need to hear from their constituents that this is not what we want. Tell Congress now: No more troops on our streets.

This is the next escalation in President Trump’s misuse of the military to police our communities. Over the summer, he sent Marines and federalized California National Guard in response to protests in Los Angeles. Troops in D.C. are continuing to create fear and mistrust between the people and their government in the nation’s capital.

These domestic deployments are wasteful and dangerous for everyone involved. Rather than costing taxpayers millions to conduct political intimidation, our government should be investing in programs that make our lives better and our communities safer, like healthcare, housing, and public education.

Congress must oppose President Trump’s abuse of power and make clear that manufactured emergencies and misused troops have no place on our streets.

Thanks for all you do,

The ACLU Team

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American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004, USA