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D.C. SUES TRUMP OVER NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT, ALLEGING ILLEGAL
FEDERAL TAKEOVER
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Stacy M. Brown
September 4, 2025
Washington Informer
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_ “Deploying the National Guard to engage in law enforcement is not
only unnecessary and unwanted, but it is also dangerous and harmful to
the District and its residents. It’s D.C. today but could be any
other city tomorrow." _
District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb says D.C. is
suing the Trump Administration over the deployment of National Guard
troops on city streets, (WI photo).
The District of Columbia has filed a sweeping lawsuit against
President Donald J. Trump, the Department of Defense, the Department
of Justice, and other federal officials, charging that the
administration’s deployment of thousands of National Guard troops to
patrol city streets is unlawful and threatens the core principle of
local self-government.
In a 52-page complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court, D.C.
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb alleged that more than 2,200 troops
from seven states and the District have been dispatched without the
consent of Mayor Muriel Bowser. Armed soldiers in fatigues have been
conducting “presence patrols,” making detentions, and riding
armored vehicles through neighborhoods in what the city calls an
illegal military occupation.
“The residents and leaders of the District of Columbia have not
requested any of this,” the complaint states. It accuses Trump of
seeking to “federalize” the capital, which he has publicly called
“a filthy and crime-ridden embarrassment,” and argues the actions
trample the Home Rule Act, the Emergency Management Assistance
Compact, and the Posse Comitatus Act.
According to the filing, Trump’s Aug. 11 press conference and
subsequent executive orders directed Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth
and Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to mobilize Guard units, place them
under federal command, and deputize them as U.S. Marshals. The
District contends this structure unlawfully strips governors of their
constitutional control over their own state militias.
The suit notes that Bowser has repeatedly rejected the deployments,
calling them “unsettling and unprecedented.” She wrote on social
media that “American soldiers and airmen policing American citizens
on American soil is #UnAmerican.”
However, Bowser has since come out to voice support for what has come
from Trump’s militarization of D.C., saying “neighborhoods feel
safer and are safer, so this surge has been important to us.”
However, Schwalb emphasized the dangers in the federal takeover of
D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department and the city overall.
“Deploying the National Guard to engage in law enforcement is not
only unnecessary and unwanted, but it is also dangerous and harmful to
the District and its residents,” Schwalb stated. “No American city
should have the U.S. military, particularly out-of-state military who
are not accountable to the residents and untrained in local law
enforcement, policing its streets,” Schwalb continued. “It’s
D.C. today but could be any other city tomorrow. We’ve filed this
action to put an end to this illegal federal overreach.”
The complaint details incidents in which National Guard troops armed
with M17 pistols and M4 rifles patrolled Metro stations, residential
neighborhoods, and even routine local events. It cites an Aug. 20
crash in which a Guard-operated armored vehicle slammed into a
civilian SUV, injuring the driver.
“These are vehicles designed for warfare,” D.C. Councilmember
Charles Allen said. “They have no business on our city streets.”
The District argues the militarization has already harmed the local
economy, with tourism, restaurants, and hotels reporting sharp drops
in business since the deployment began. It also claims that the
federal orders unlawfully suspend local gun laws by permitting
Guardsmen to carry weapons that would otherwise be prohibited in the
city.
In its request for relief, the lawsuit asks the court to declare
Trump’s actions unconstitutional, vacate the federal orders, and
permanently bar the administration from continuing the military
presence in the District.
“No American jurisdiction should be involuntarily subjected to
military occupation,” the filing states. “The danger that such an
operation poses to individual liberty and democratic rule is
self-evident.”
_Stacy M. Brown is a senior writer for The Washington Informer and the
senior national correspondent for the Black Press of America. Stacy
has more than 25 years of journalism experience and has authored two
major biographies, including "Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of
Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother."_
_We are THE WASHINGTON INFORMER, a Black, woman-owned multimedia news
organization serving African Americans in the DMV. With over 60 years
of experience spanning three generations, we are dedicated to
delivering accurate, timely, and essential information, earning the
trust of our audience along the way._
* Washington DC
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