I don’t support deployment of U.S. troops to L.A.
Dear Editor:
Because the Posse Comitatus Act makes it a crime to deploy active- duty troops for law enforcement purposes, the recent deployment of United States Marines to the streets of Los Angeles is an illegal deployment. Specifically, “Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses [the military] as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.” 18 U.S.C. § 1385 (emphasis added).
As an Army Veteran, this law hits close to home. I deployed in service of my country under the first Trump Administration. But my deployment was abroad, for the purpose of protecting the United States and expanding her influence — it was not to illegally quell protests on the streets of major U.S. cities — protests triggered in direct response to unconstitutional actions of the current administration.
This is critical, because the People of the United States are not your enemy. Whether you disagree with someone because of their party registration, religious beliefs, country of origin, or the work they perform, no United States citizen is your enemy, though they may be a criminal or a lawbreaker. For example, President Donald Trump is a 34-time convicted felon, but that does not make him my enemy — merely a threat to our beautiful democracy.
I stand with all Americans, though I may not agree with your choices or your beliefs. And that is the beauty of the American Dream. Regardless of who you are, I will continue to fight for your right to pursue the American Dream because I love you, though I may have never met you. All I demand is that the President and his administration follow the rule of law and respect the United States Constitution.
Because I swore an oath to support and defend the United States Constitution, I do not support this illegal deployment of United States Marines to the streets of Los Angeles.
Mitchell Jacob Newcastle
