Garamendi joins representatives Cisneros, Lieu and 34 Democrats demanding answers from Trump over Marine detention

Congressman John Garamendi joined Congressman Gil Cisneros and House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Ted W. Lieu —who led in 34 House Democrats in condemning the Trump Administration for allowing the detention of a U.S. citizen and Marine Corps veteran last Saturday.

“As members of Congress, we take an oath to defend the Constitution — the same oath that you and every service member has taken,” the letter reads. “The use of our military service members in this situation, who have sacrificed so much to defend our country, is sickening and disrespectful. The Constitutional rights to free speech and peaceful assembly are hallmarks of our democracy. We must be united in protecting these rights.

“I am deeply alarmed by Trump’s blatant abuse of presidential power and his indifference to the rule of law,” said Garamendi. “Time and again, he has shown a disregard for the guardrails which protect against the misuse of military forces. Law enforcement functions should be done by law enforcement officers, not by military members. Trump’s use of U.S. Marines to detain a U.S. citizen — and a veteran, no less — is yet another unacceptable misuse of military resources to advance his deportation agenda.

“The American people deserve answers about how the Department of Defense is spending their tax dollars. Instead of improving our barracks or supporting our troops, Donald Trump is engaging in a dangerous overreach and trying to make the military his personal police force,” continued Garamendi. “Congress will continue its oversight role to ensure the American people understand the unlawful, wasteful, and alarming path Trump is pursuing.”

“This Saturday, an Army veteran and U.S. citizen was detained by the U.S. Marines which is in direct violation of the Posse Comitatus Act,” said Cisneros. “The Trump administration is using our military service members as political pawns to create a false narrative of uncontrolled violence, trample on legal precedent, and perpetuate fear and hate in our communities. I am disturbed by the flagrant misuse of our nation’s troops and I am demanding answers.”

“Using Marines for law enforcement activities in the United States underscores the disturbing escalation in Trump’s efforts to politicize the military,” said Lieu. “As a former JAG prosecutor, I am intimately familiar with the laws that the U.S. military is bound by. The stories detailing that Marines temporarily detained a U.S. citizen in Los Angeles would represent a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. No member of the U.S. military is allowed to take part in civilian law enforcement (absent invocation of the Insurrection Act), no matter what Trump claims. This disturbing incident shows just how inappropriate it is that Trump has deployed troops on American soil against Americans.”

The letter was signed by Congressmen Barragán, Bera, Carbajal, Chu, Escobar, Robert Garcia, Sylvia Garcia, Gonzalez, Goodlander, Hernández, Hoyle, Huffman, Jacobs, Jayapal, Leger Fernandez, Levin, Liccardo, Lofgren, Min, Holmes Norton, Ruiz, Sherman, Simon, Sorensen, Torres, Tran, Vargas, Vasquez, Velázquez, Whitesides, and Williams.

Click here to read the entire letter.