ACLU of Idaho Demands National Guard Troops Leave Washington D.C.

BOISE – In a joint letter to Americans across the country, the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho today joined the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia (ACLU-D.C.), ACLU National, and ACLU affiliates across the country to call for National Guard troops to be withdrawn from the nation’s capital.

For more than a year, D.C residents have encountered National Guard troops not only around federal buildings and major events, but outside homes, schools, and local businesses. The ACLU-D.C. recently filed a legal claim on behalf of Anna King, a combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient, who was assaulted by Idaho National Guard troops outside her D.C. home in May.

As of September 3, 2026, there are 24 Idaho National Guard members deployed in Washington D.C. This number changes daily.

“The ACLU of Idaho is demanding that Governor Little immediately remove all Idaho National Guard troops from D.C.,” said ACLU of Idaho Executive Director Leo Morales. “There is no real emergency justifying the need to send troops to the other side of the country. This deployment of National Guard members in D.C. for many months has pulled taxpayer-funded resources away from true, critical emergencies here in Idaho, including wildfires. Additionally, the lack of transparency around this deployment and the recent incident involving a D.C. veteran and Idaho National Guard members should concern all Idahoans. Governor Little has the power to put this to an end.”

Over 4,000 National Guard troops, pulled from the District and 15 states, including Idaho, have patrolled neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., beginning with President Trump’s deployment of D.C. National Guard in August 2025. Because D.C. is not a state, the president controls the local D.C. National Guard and – along with the secretary of defense – can request that governors make their states’ National Guard forces available for certain federal missions. Governors are free to decline those requests, and many have done so over the past year.

Today’s joint letter to Americans underscores that there is no emergency in the District that requires a continued National Guard troop presence. The letter also warns that deploying troops in the nation’s capital risks normalizing the use of the military against people in the United States.

“Armed National Guard troops are neither needed nor wanted in the District. Absent a true emergency, National Guard members should be home in their communities, with their families,” said ACLU-D.C. Executive Director Monica Hopkins. “There is no emergency in D.C. that justifies this continued presence, and we cannot allow armed troops patrolling the streets of our nation’s capital to become normal. The troops need to go home.”

The letter also highlights that the harms of the deployments extend well beyond D.C. Estimates indicate that the deployments could cost taxpayers $1.7 billion by the end of 2026, even as families in Idaho struggle with rising costs. Idaho National Guard members have also been pulled away from their civilian jobs, schools, and families, creating disruptions for households and employers and, in some cases, genuine economic hardship. Prolonged deployments can also reduce Idaho National Guard members’ availability for other important needs, including natural disaster response.

“Residents of our nation’s capital have always been proud to welcome visitors from all over with a smile, not an armed military force,” the letter states. “D.C. is a symbol of our country’s ideals of freedom and democracy, and this is marred by having National Guard troops marching in our streets. The National Guard must return to their home states.”

“For over a year, the people of the District of Columbia have been living with troops on their streets without their consent and against their wishes,” said Mike Zamore, national director of policy & government affairs at the ACLU. “These military troops are patrolling the American capital as a flex, in an effort to menace and intimidate us. But we will not be bullied. We must keep speaking up against this blatant abuse of executive power.”

The letter sent today can be found online.