WASHINGTON – In August, President Trump deployed National Guard troops to the streets of Washington, D.C., purportedly to crack down on what he falsely claimed was increased crime in the District. Already having deployed federal forces to Los Angeles, he pledged that “this will go further,” naming Chicago, New York, and Oakland — and most recently, Memphis — as his next targets. In September, the president’s 30-day emergency authority in D.C. ended, and the president promised that he would call a national emergency again if the District’s law enforcement didn’t cooperate with ICE. Following D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s September 2 order to indefinitely cooperate with federal law enforcement, the administration authorized the National Guard to remain in the District through the end of November.
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, a rabbinic human rights organization, warned that these moves are a sign of rising authoritarianism.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, said:
“This move is a rampant abuse of power by the administration. Federalizing the local police force bypasses and disregards local democracy and undermines the D.C. government, flagrantly ignoring checks and balances. Public safety matters should be left up to local jurisdictions, not used to stoke fear and serve an authoritarian agenda. Violent crime in Washington, D.C., is at a 30-year low, so the idea that this extreme military action is needed to control crime is a false narrative and a manufactured crisis.
“Trump’s decision to swarm D.C. with military and police forces has turned the city into a war-like zone. ICE is disappearing community members at alarming rates. Black and brown youth are being hunted. At the same time, we are also seeing communities standing up for each other, for their rights, and against this authoritarian takeover.
“It’s critical that those of us who live outside of D.C. stand in solidarity with D.C. residents. At the same time, this takeover also has major consequences for our nation far beyond its capital. We are deeply concerned about the authoritarian implications of this action by the administration. The implications for the President having full control of our nation’s capital cannot be understated. Right now, President Trump is testing how far his violation of democratic norms can go unchecked by Congress, the Judiciary, and the general public. He is testing the limits of how and when he can deploy the U.S. military against his political enemies, how he can impose his agenda onto cities, and how he can scale up his mass deportation agenda without cooperation from local jurisdictions who have to date had sanctuary policies for their community members. We must stand up to this abuse of power.
“President Trump is testing this agenda in Los Angeles and Chicago as well, and clergy around the country are standing against these actions. And make no mistake: this unchecked, dangerous move in D.C. is only possible because of the District’s lack of statehood, which we continue to advocate for whole-heartedly.
“Already, rabbis and other faith leaders in D.C. are standing shoulder to shoulder with their neighbors fighting this federal takeover of their city. We stand with D.C. and condemn this egregious overuse of force, and we urge the administration to withdraw the ICE and National Guard troops immediately. We reinforce our commitment to supporting D.C. in one day becoming our 51st state.”
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About T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights brings the Torah’s ideals of human dignity, equality, and justice to life by empowering our network of over 2,300 rabbis and cantors to be moral voices and to lead Jewish communities in advancing democracy and human rights for all people in the United States, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.