As a proud Minnesota military family, we feel an urgent responsibility to speak out against the recent deployment of U.S. Marines to Los Angeles and to warn against what we believe is a dangerous and misguided precedent: the use of active-duty military personnel for law enforcement duties on American soil.
This is not a partisan statement. It is a call to protect the very foundation of our democracy.
The Military’s Role: Defenders, Not Enforcers
Every service member takes an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” That oath binds them to uphold the freedoms and rights enshrined in our Constitution—not to suppress them.
Our soldiers, Marines, airmen, and sailors are highly trained to engage in combat and protect the nation from foreign threats. They are not trained to police American cities or manage civil unrest. Asking them to do so is a violation of their mission and risks undermining the trust that exists between the military and the American public.
Using military force against U.S. civilians crosses a red line—one that the framers of our Constitution and generations of Americans since have warned against.
Why the Posse Comitatus Act Matters
The Posse Comitatus Act, a 150-year-old federal law, prohibits most uses of the military for domestic law enforcement. It was passed after the Civil War to prevent military overreach and to restore the balance of civil authority. Its core purpose is to ensure that civilian government retains control within the U.S. and that the military does not become a tool for political or social enforcement.
As legal scholar Joseph Nunn from the Brennan Center for Justice explains, the law “embodies an American tradition that sees military interference in civilian affairs as a threat to both democracy and personal liberty.”
This law is not a relic. It is a safeguard—a line that prevents the concentration of too much power in any one institution, especially one with the force of arms.
The Danger of a Blurred Line
Sending active-duty troops into American neighborhoods sends the wrong message. It turns protectors into potential enforcers. It places service members in the morally untenable position of possibly having to choose between obeying orders and defending citizens’ constitutional rights.
This is not hypothetical. It has real consequences. Once the military is used to handle domestic protests or unrest, it becomes easier for future leaders to justify such deployments again and again—regardless of the scale of the threat. What’s deemed “acceptable” now becomes “normal” tomorrow.
The erosion of civil liberties doesn’t happen all at once. It happens in increments, when fear and crisis create space for actions that would otherwise be unthinkable.
A Plea from One Family to the Nation
We know the integrity and honor that define the U.S. military. We know the sacrifices that military families make every single day. We also know the damage that can be done when the military is politicized or used improperly.
That’s why we’re speaking out.
Our troops should not be deployed as riot police.
They should not be tasked with crowd control, dispersing peaceful protesters, or patrolling American streets. These are responsibilities that belong to local law enforcement under civilian oversight—not to those trained for war.
Protecting Our Democracy for Future Generations
This issue transcends politics. It is about who we are as a nation and what kind of government we want to preserve for our children and grandchildren. Allowing or even tolerating the domestic use of federal troops in this manner sets a dangerous precedent.
We call on all Americans—military families, veterans, civilians, and leaders of every political background—to reject the normalization of domestic troop deployment.
Stand up for the principle that our military should defend us from threats abroad, not be turned inward against our own people.
History has taught us that democracies can only endure when the power of the military is restrained, and civilian rights are respected above all.
Let’s make sure we don’t forget that lesson.
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