United States: The use of the National Guard by the Trump administration at civilian protests in Los Angeles against the wishes of the governor may result in the politicization of the United States military, armed service veterans say.
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It has been explained by top military leaders that choosing to put thousands of troops under federal supervision and have them patrolling in LA goes against the military’s role of avoiding political matters.
This happened most recently in 1965 when Lyndon Johnson made the decision to send the National Guard to Alabama against the governor’s wishes to help protect civil rights marchers, the Guardian reported.
“This is the politicization of the armed forces,” as Maj Gen Paul Eaton.
“It casts the military in a terrible light – it’s that man on horseback who really doesn’t want to be there, out in front of American citizens,” he continued.
Deploying the CA Guard to L.A. protests—and threatening to use Marines against civilians—abuses power, tramples our rights, and weaponizes the military for political gain.
— Common Defense (@commondefense) June 8, 2025
Read more 👉 https://t.co/J0ZlI1nU1U#DefendDemocracy #VeteransSpeakOut pic.twitter.com/L3zIGGLVwE
During the Iraqi invasion, Eaton thought that the LA deployment would eventually require the use of the Insurrection Act.
According to the law, the president has the ability to lead the US military against serious rebellion or an uprising.
“We are headed towards the invocation of the Insurrection Act, which will provide a legal basis for inappropriate activity,” he added.
The protests in LA against Trump’s decisions to deport people have been going on for four days now, the Guardian reported.
Members of the National Guard started showing up in the capital on Sunday to look after federal workers and buildings but were not authorized to handle law enforcement tasks.