ACLU Supporter, I'm Jess Apgar, senior project manager at the ACLU, and before I worked for the ACLU, I served as an officer in the U.S. military for over 6 years.

This Veterans Day, I'm joining thousands of veterans across the country in sending a clear message: The military has no place policing civilians.

I work at the ACLU for the same reason I joined the military: to protect and defend the Constitution. But just this year, the Trump administration has deployed troops to American cities to suppress peaceful dissent, censored the press, banned books in schools on military bases, and is saying that this is only the beginning.

As a combat veteran, I know firsthand how dangerous these policies have been for service members, civilians, and our democracy. When the military crosses the line to civilian law enforcement, the fabric of our democracy decays. The Trump administration's actions put our neighbors in danger of having their rights violated and service members in legal and ethical jeopardy. It is draining military resources, creating internal divisions, and destroying the public's trust in a nonpartisan military.

That's why so many veterans like myself have become outspoken protectors of civil rights and civil liberties in our communities. Since President Trump started deploying National Guard troops and heavily-armed federal law enforcement agents into our cities to scare people protesting his anti-immigrant policies, over 6,000 veterans, active duty service members, and families of members of the Armed Forces, have joined the ACLU in condemning these dangerous and escalatory actions.

This Veterans Day, as we honor those who have served our country and defended our Constitution, I hope you'll join me in ensuring our leaders protect all of our freedoms. Tell Congress to protect our freedoms by pulling federal troops out of American cities.

Thank you for being with us,

Jessica Apgar
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Senior Project Manager, ACLU

P.S. After you take our action above, if you've ever been a member of the U.S. military or have a loved one who has, you can also add your name to our joint petition with Common Defense for Military, Veterans, and Family urging the administration to withdraw federal troops from D.C.