07/07/2026
Governor Gretchen Whitmer
P.O. Box 30013
Lansing, Michigan 48909
Dear Governor Whitmer:
The undersigned organizations urge you to withdraw Michigan National Guard forces
from Washington, DC, where they have joined the thousands of other out-of-state Guard
forces patrolling the streets of the city as part of the Trump administration’s “summer
surge.”
President Trump requested National Guard assistance pursuant to 32 U.S.C. § 502(f), a
provision that authorizes governors to make their Guard forces available for federal
missions at the request of the president or secretary of defense. Governors who receive
such requests are free to decline them and have done so repeatedly over the past year.
We were therefore surprised and disappointed by your decision to augment the already
massive military presence in DC with Michigan’s Guard forces.
Governors aligned with the president have sent nearly 5,000 National Guard forces to
DC to patrol neighborhoods throughout the city, purportedly for the purpose of
controlling street crime, against the will of the people and the local government. As the
State of Michigan recognized when it joined an amicus brief in litigation challenging the
deployments, this show of military force for the purpose of policing civilians is
unprecedented, dangerous, and unlawful. The use of the military to support civilian law
enforcement should be a last resort in cases where emergencies have overwhelmed
civilian authorities. That is clearly not the case in DC.
The official purpose of the deployment from Michigan may be to assist with crowd
control and similar functions during the events to mark the 250th anniversary of the
declaration of independence (“250 events”). Previous presidents have requested
assistance from out-of-state Guard forces during major events in DC, and such requests
would normally give little cause for concern. But there is nothing normal about the way
President Trump has used National Guard forces in the nation’s capital or other cities
across the country, and no reason to trust his administration to use your Guard forces
appropriately or even lawfully. While past presidents have been careful to strictly limit
Guard forces’ activities at major events to avoid even the appearance of overstepping
military bounds, Guard forces performing event-security functions under this
administration might well be asked to assist in suppressing peaceful protests at 250
events or arresting attendees who “touch water” on the National Mall. Even if the
administration were using Michigan’s Guard forces only in connection with 250 events,
the potential for misuse in that role is unacceptably high.
Moreover, and regardless of any assurances you may have received from the
administration, it is clear that Michigan’s Guard forces are not being used solely to assist
with 250 events. At the time the first group of Michigan Guard forces came to DC, the
only major event that was on the near horizon was the June 16th Democratic primary
election. Guard forces from Michigan have been observed patrolling neighborhoods far
from any 250 event. Although the major crowd-drawing events of the July 4th weekend
are now behind us, we understand that Michigan’s Guard forces are slated to be in DC
through the end of August. (Other governors who sent Guard forces to assist with 250
events, including Governors Beshear, Stein, Moore, and Walz, have either withdrawn
those forces from DC or plan to do so this week.)
Tellingly, Michigan’s Guard forces have been assigned to Joint Task Force - District of
Columbia (JTF-DC), the task force that was created in August 2025 for the purpose of
coordinating National Guard support to local and federal law enforcement operations in
DC. They are thus in the same operational group and under the same chain of command
as those Guard forces who are participating in the summer surge, raising the question of
whether it is even feasible to prevent mixing of functions. Those of us who are based or
have constituents in DC can attest that residents perceive no distinction among the
Guard forces deployed in their city.
Perhaps most worrisome, the addition of Michigan’s Guard forces to the thousands of
troops President Trump has already brought to DC threatens to normalize the misuse of
the military perpetuated by this administration and allied governors. That
normalization poses heightened risks as we move toward the November elections.
We trust that none of this is your intent, but it is the impact every day Michigan’s Guard
forces are deployed pursuant to Trump’s request and acting at his direction. We urge
you to exercise your legal option under 32 U.S.C. § 502(f) to recall your Guard forces
from DC.
