Deployment of National Guard in Los Angeles Marks Dangerous Escalation Against First Amendment Rights to Protest and Assemble

June 9, 2025

Washington, DC — In response to the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles over the weekend, Advancement Project Executive Director Judith Browne Dianis shared the following statement:

“The deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles in response to protests reflects a troubling escalation. This kind of militarized response, particularly in the context of community uprisings against ICE raids, signals a shift toward increasingly repressive tactics that threaten civil liberties and democratic norms.

“As the administration pursues aggressive and dehumanizing methods of immigration enforcement – relying on racial profiling to target those they suspect are immigrants and then kidnapping and deporting them without warrants, legal counsel, or judicial oversight – it is no surprise that communities across the country are standing up in solidarity with our immigrant families, neighbors, friends and coworkers.

Protestors are not a threat to our public safety, but the unnecessary deployment of the military against the objections of that state’s governor is absolutely a threat to our democracy and our communities. Dissent is being met with flash-bang grenades, tear gas, and military vehicles, as protestors are criminalized and their lives put in danger for exercising their fundamental rights to assemble and speak freely.

The White House must immediately pull the National Guard out of Los Angeles. Failure to do so puts the lives of protestors at risk and damages our country’s increasingly fragile democracy. At the same time, we call on all communities to stand united against these mounting attacks. We must continue to organize, resist, and protect one another.”

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Advancement Project is a next-generation, multi-racial civil rights organization. Rooted in the great human rights struggles for equality and justice, we exist to fulfill America’s promise of a caring, inclusive and just democracy. We use innovative tools and strategies to strengthen social movements and achieve high impact policy change. We are a co-convener of the National Campaign for Police Free schools, a formation of 20+ youth-led grassroots organizations fighting to end the criminalization of youth in the classroom, create liberatory educational spaces, and implement an affirmative vision of safety and transformative justice. Visit www.advancementproject.org to learn more.