The Trump administration continues to escalate its deployment of military troops and federal law enforcement to cities across the country. We are witnessing the build-out of a national paramilitary policing force that could be used to intimidate people and consolidate President Donald Trump's power.

This week alone, the administration placed 200 Oregon National Guard under federal control and deployed them to Portland, following the president's false and bizarre claim that the city is "war ravaged" and his threat to authorize "full force, if necessary." Oregon's governor, as well as the city of Portland, immediately objected and have since sued. The president also told a large assembly of senior military officials that he intends to deploy troops to Chicago and said that troops should use American cities as "training grounds" for the military.

Already in Chicago, masked federal law enforcement agents armed with rifles roam the city's tourist districts and the South Side. Federal agents have arrested people who recorded their actions. Ten miles west of Chicago, camouflage-clad and masked federal agents — some reportedly positioned like snipers from the rooftop of the building — fired tear gas and pepper balls against a crowd of 100 protesters and journalists outside of the Broadview ICE facility. Federal agents are conducting immigration raids in Chicago and its suburbs with aggressive shows of force, including helicopters, flash-bang grenades and dozens of trucks and agents. And federal law enforcement is arresting people for alleged immigration violations without warrants, including U.S. citizens.

The governors of California, Oregon and Illinois have objected to federalized troop deployments in their states, but other governors are volunteering their troops in support of the administration's agenda. In Missouri, the governor authorized the state's National Guard to provide logistics support for immigration enforcement, while Louisiana's governor has requested federal assistance to activate up to 1,000 of the state's National Guard on general "public safety" grounds.

National Policing Force Poses Civil Liberties Threat

Deploying military troops and masked federal agents is part of something larger that is happening under our noses. The Trump administration is trying to build out a sprawling national military and police force — intended to be accountable to the president, not the people. The administration is intentionally blurring the lines of law and accountability that limit federal law enforcement, the military, and state and local police to their proper roles. It is cycling through false justifications and purported mandates to do so — invoking crime, homelessness, immigration and now even "domestic terrorism."

In Florida last week, the state's National Guard joined federal, state and local law enforcement agents in a massive multiday immigration arrest operation; its legal authority and constraints are unclear. In Washington, D.C., ICE is reportedly joining local police on patrol, even after the expiration of a 30-day emergency declared by the president.

The legal and ethical constraints that govern each of the law enforcement agencies involved, as well as the military, are critically important and we can't let them be blurred or cast aside.

The Trump administration is going after the most vulnerable people in our communities, targeting immigrants and Black and brown people, as well as anyone who protests these cruel actions. But we know it does not stop here. A national policing force can be wielded against anyone who doesn't pass the president's loyalty test.

A Movement To Protect Our Communities

The administration's overreach is spurring new opposition and concern across the ideological spectrum.

A judge appointed by Ronald Reagan recently said in a decision on the free speech rights of noncitizens: "Can you imagine a masked marine? It is a matter of honor — and honor still matters. To us, masks are associated with cowardly desperados and the despised Ku Klux Klan. In all our history we have never tolerated an armed masked secret police."

Videos of reckless federal personnel pushing people to the ground and assaulting journalists and protesters have sparked outrage. California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a suite of bills under the banner of fighting "secret police" tactics — a step we believe will further embolden governors and legislatures across the country in the coming months to build a firewall of freedom. Already, more than half of states have passed firewall measures to push back on Trump's attempts to violate our rights.

As the threats continue to grow, we need even more concrete protections. States and cities should move to limit or withdraw from partnerships with the Trump administration that are being used to terrify and attack our neighbors and loved ones, such as ICE's expanding 287(g) program. Governors and legislatures should enact measures to ensure that no state employee volunteers state and local resources, including data and equipment, to federal personnel who would use it to violate our rights.

Our schools, health care facilities, libraries and shelters should establish protocols to limit law enforcement access without a warrant so that they are safer for our community members to visit. Our state and local governments should invest in proven public safety strategies and reject the administration's attempt to redeploy the military as a police force in America's streets.

Remember: We Are Stronger Together

While much of the formal power to stop these deployments lies in the hands of local, state and federal officials, we are not powerless — and it's imperative that we keep speaking out. The Trump administration is relying on people being too scared to resist its cruel and unlawful measures. But the deployments in Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Portland and Memphis have shown us that we are stronger together. Whether it's going to a No Kings protest, filming ICE activity, taking a Know Your Rights training or simply helping your neighbors' children get safely to school, we can all help protect not just our loved ones, but our communities.

Naureen Shah is the director of Government Affairs, Equality Division at the American Civil Liberties Union, where she leads the ACLU's immigration policy and advocacy work. For more than 100 years, the ACLU has worked in courts, legislatures and communities to protect the constitutional rights of all people. With a nationwide network of offices and millions of members and supporters, the ACLU takes on the toughest civil liberties fights in pursuit of liberty and justice for all. To find out more about the ACLU and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators website at www.creators.com.

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