Larson Condemns Illegal Trump Deployment of Texas Troops to Chicago Streets

East Hartford, CT - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) blasted Donald Trump's decision to deploy Texas National Guard troopsin Chicago, against the wishes of state and local officials, calling it a "dangerous abuse of power by a wannabe dictator."

"Day by day, Donald Trump is trying to turn our military into his own personal army," said Larson. "He's sending Texas troops into Illinois to inflame chaos, just like he sent ICE to Chicago to terrorize families and gas peaceful protesters. We've seen these Gestapo tactics before, when masked agents snatched visa holders in unmarked vans and separated mothers from their children right here in Connecticut. This is not law and order. It's lawlessness straight out of the White House. My Republican colleagues have a choice. They can stand up for the Constitution or stand with Trump's authoritarian power grab. I know where I stand - with the people, our laws, and an America that believes no one is above them."

In September, Larson similarly called on Congress to step in after a federal judge found President Trump's deployment of troopsin Los Angeles to be illegal. He has championed the No Secret Police Act, to stop the use of unmarked and masked federal forces in American cities.