Trump's National Guard deployments aren't random. They were planned years ago

"But if successful they could also fulfill a long-running administration goal of employing America's military to aid in the mass deportation of immigrants without legal status, according to an NPR review of past comments from Trump and his allies. It's a move that would stray significantly from past federal use of the Guard, challenging laws that dictate how the U.S. military can be used domestically."

"Trump has sent troops into four Democratic-led cities, and threatened to send them to several more, claiming they are needed to crack down on crime and protect federal immigration facilities and officers. Those deployments, and the White House's rhetoric around them, have regularly conflated violent crime and illegal immigration into a single crisis, blurring the lines around the role of the Guard and federal agents."

"Taken one at a time, the deployments can seem random or fickle Trump will often muse about sending troops into a city, only to back track his comments and focus on a different city days later. But the president and several others in his inner circle most notably Stephen Miller, a senior aide to Trump in his first term, and now Trump's right hand man on immigration have long talked about using the National Guard to help with mass deportations and immigration raids,"

President Trump has deployed National Guard troops to several U.S. cities and threatened further deployments, asserting they are needed to reduce crime and protect federal immigration facilities. The White House rhetoric has frequently merged violent crime with illegal immigration, presenting both as a single crisis. Senior aides, including Stephen Miller, have advocated using the Guard to assist mass deportations and immigration raids. Legal obstacles and laws broadly prohibit using the military for domestic policing, prompting consideration of invoking the Insurrection Act. Courts are examining the legality of deployments, and experts warn of potential voter intimidation or systemic suppression ahead of the 2026 midterms.

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