Senators' Joint Letter to President Trump Expressing Concerns Regarding Military Deployment in Los Angeles

Key Chapter Title List

1. Introduction: Deep Concerns Regarding Deployment Decisions
2. Unilateral Action and Abuse of Executive Power
3. Undermining Local Law Enforcement and Order
4. Misdirection of Military Resources and Fiscal Waste
5. A Dangerous Precedent and the Erosion of State Authority
6. Citing the Homeland Security Secretary's Remarks for Support
7. Core Demand: Immediate Withdrawal of Troops and Cessation of Threats
8. The Constitutional and Civilian Law Enforcement Authority Baseline Requirement
9. List of Co-signing Senators (Group One)
10. List of Co-signing Senators (Group Two)
11. List of Co-signing Senators (Group Three)
12. List of Co-signing Senators (Group Four)

Document Introduction

This document is a formal letter dated June 14, 2025, jointly signed by multiple United States Senators and addressed to the then-President Donald J. Trump. The core issue of the document is to express strong legal, constitutional, and policy concerns regarding the President's unilateral decision to deploy the National Guard and United States Marines to the City of Los Angeles without consultation or coordination with the Governor of California and local Los Angeles leaders. The signatories believe this action constitutes a stunning abuse of executive power, undermining the constitutional balance of power between the federal and state governments.

The document first clarifies the direct target of the protest and the core demand: it calls on the President to immediately withdraw all recently deployed military personnel from Los Angeles and to cease further threats of deploying the National Guard or active-duty troops to American cities without a request from the governor. The letter argues that this projection of federal military force into a domestic city not only dangerously misapplies federal authority but also practically interferes with local law enforcement's efforts to maintain peace and order. The report emphasizes that military deployment should always be a last resort, not a first option, and must be based on specific resource requests from local law enforcement.

The analysis further reveals the multiple negative consequences of this deployment. First, the decision is criticized for creating "spectacle" rather than solving problems, instead exacerbating local tensions and creating confusion within local law enforcement agencies. Second, this action diverts military assets from other critical missions, constituting a waste of taxpayer funds. More profoundly, the document strongly warns of the dangerous precedent set by this action, which could threaten the autonomy of other cities and states across the nation. The report cites remarks made by then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during her tenure as Governor of South Dakota to bolster its argument that "federalizing the National Guard is a direct attack on state authority."

This letter ultimately rests on the defense of the fundamental principles of the U.S. Constitution and the authority of the civilian law enforcement system. It represents the collective voice of a group of senators based on constitutional separation of powers, federalism principles, and best practices in domestic security affairs. As a primary political document, it provides researchers with a timely and targeted first-hand case study for analyzing the power dynamics between the federal government and states in U.S. domestic politics, the legal and political boundaries of using military force in domestic affairs, and potential conflicts between the executive and legislative branches over security policy. All arguments are strictly based on the legal and procedural flaws of the incident itself and do not involve an assessment of the specific social circumstances behind the event.