Earlier this year, we witnessed the Trump administration use the National Guard in a deeply disturbing and dangerous way when he ordered the deployment of National Guard troops to several states. These deployments have and will continue to result in countless violations of basic rights and liberties of people across the country.

President Trump is not deploying these federal forces and the National Guard to advance public safety, but to intimidate and stoke fear among people who do not share his authoritarian vision that threatens our most fundamental freedoms.

As you may know, the Connecticut National Guard is our state’s military force, made up of part-time citizen soldiers who can be activated for state emergencies or federal missions, including overseas deployment. The Guard reports to the Governor, and federalization is permitted only in narrowly defined circumstances. Yet President Trump has repeatedly called Guard units into service in California, Illinois, Tennessee, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia, and has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy National Guard units without state consent, revealing how quickly federal directives can pressure states into domestic deployments that exceed the Guard’s intended role. It is clear that Connecticut cannot rely on federal restraints to protect its residents.

Now is the time to protect Connecticut residents and ensure that President Trump cannot deploy federal National Guard troops into our neighborhoods. Without clear protections, the Connecticut National Guard could be ordered to other states to assist with militarized policing or immigration enforcement, or could be pressured into domestic deployments that undermine community trust.

The time is now. The Governor has the authority and the obligation to protect Connecticut’s Guard from misuse. We must remind him of this obligation and urge him to set clear guardrails that will protect and serve the people of Connecticut with a strong executive order.

A statewide coalition of 45 organizations, including the ACLU of Connecticut, sent a letter to the Governor asking for him to sign this executive order. Now, we need your help to get this message to Governor Lamont.

Using the script below, urge the Governor to sign an executive order now at (860) 566-4840! Once you've given him your message, click the "I've Called!" button below the script to confirm with us.