Since the start of the second Trump administration, it has targeted American cities refusing to comply with its discriminatory and harmful agenda. Deployments of federal troops have been used to suppress protests, terrorize local communities, and provide cover for increasingly violent immigration raids. These deployments consist of (1) the presence or threatened presence of US military forces like the National Guard; (2) masked secret police (ICE or other federal law enforcement) conducting aggressive and unlawful immigration enforcement; and (3) a deliberate and targeted misinformation campaign about crime and on-the-ground conditions in targeted cities (Portland, Chicago, D.C., LA, Minneapolis, Memphis, and more). These actions are intended to force a racist, anti-immigrant agenda on any community that dares to resist. The Trump administration will try and use threats of funding cuts and troop deployments to force preemptive compliance with its deportation agenda, but as we’ve seen time and time again, these are just empty threats designed to inspire fear.
As a local elected official, your voice is critical right now to reveal what’s happening, push back against false narratives, and support your community. With the federal administration threatening future deployments, this webpage is a resource and guide for immediate steps to take if the military or federal agents are sent to your area.
We know these are difficult times, but our network is here as a support system and resource to help you and your community navigate a hostile federal administration.
From LA to Chicago, Local Progress members have used their platforms as local elected officials to push back against the Trump administration’s lies and advocate for what real public safety looks like. Check out some of the headlines from our members below, and be sure to use your own platform to speak out against federal authoritarianism.
Important Resources
1) Messaging Guidance on Federal Deployments
The immediate moments after the National Guard is deployed in your area are critical. The goal of the Trump administration through these deployments is to cause fear, and disorganized communication only feeds that. Developed by our communications team, Local Progress has developed an easy-to-use resource to help provide local elected officials with immediate messaging guidance for what’s needed in the first 72 hours after a federal military deployment.
This resource has been developed in partnership and review from local elected officials currently experiencing national guard deployments in their areas.
2) Protest Policy Bulletin
The success of Trump’s national guard deployments hinges on the chaos and confusion they can create on the ground. Federal troop deployments are only able to bulldoze over local power when local communities are disorganized and uninformed of their rights, not just to resist, but also to fight back. Local Progress is proud to share our comprehensive policy bulletin outlining the steps and policies local communities can take to protect residents from the overarch of federal troops.
This policy bulletin outlines policies that local officials can take to ensure First Amendment rights are protected, schools and students are kept safe, and governing under continued federal occupation.
3) No Secret Police Toolkit
The Trump administration’s accelerated federal immigration enforcement and military deployments are causing irreparable harm. In the midst of these attacks, local governments across the country have stepped up to protect our most vulnerable community members and demonstrated that we will stand against the surveillance, detainment, and deportation of our neighbors. One of the best ways local elected leaders can do this is continue to document immigration enforcement actions and connect those most at risk to legal resources.
The No Secret Police Toolkit is a call-to-action for local governments to disrupt the rise in authoritarian tactics and protect community members.
Mapping Federal Authoritarianism
Across the country, the federal government is deploying National Guard and ICE troops to spread fear amongst our communities. Border Patrol and immigration enforcement agents are snatching up our neighbors while federalized National Guardsmen patrol our cities. Every state is seeing more federal overreach from the Trump Administration, but we refuse to normalize this naked authoritarianism.
Check out our interactive map tracking National Guard deployments and increased ICE activity nationwide.
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