As tensions rise in Los Angeles following President Trump's controversial deployment of US Marines against protesters, Minnesota's Inclusive Democracy Caucus has voiced vehement opposition. Co-Chairs Senator Liz Boldon, Representative Cedrick Frazier, and Representative Emma Greenman denounced the President's actions, asserting an abuse of power reminiscent of authoritarian regimes. In a statement obtained by Senate DFL, the caucus leaders declared, "The Trump Administration is using authoritarian tactics and militarized escalation to intimidate communities, silence peaceful protest, and threaten to occupy American cities the President doesn't like."
The caucus has accused the administration of arresting public figures, including a state judge, a mayor, and federal legislators, merely for executing their democratic responsibilities by leveraging federal law enforcement. The Inclusive Democracy Caucus calls attention to a chilling effect on free expression and assembly. They contend that the deployment not only heightens tensions but also tramples on the Constitutional rights of citizens to protest the administration's policies, which is not the American way.
An emergent and troubling picture of state suppression was outlined, wherein the military is seemingly repurposed as a political tool, which stands against the foundational values of the republic. The Inclusive Democracy Caucus members pledged to defend the principles of representative democracy, stressing in their statement, "As elected officials, we will not be bullied out of standing up for the democratic freedoms promised in the U.S. Constitution and protected by generations of servicemembers, activists, political leaders, and citizens."
In response to these military deployments and the accompanying civil liberties violations, the caucus reaffirms its commitment to lawful protest and to the enduring work of safeguarding inclusive democracy, the Co-Chairs emphasized their resolution to not be deterred in their opposition, saying, "We will continue joining our fellow Americans in exercising our First Amendment right to lawfully protest the Trump Administration." The controversy is setting the stage for a significant confrontation between state and federal authorities over the limits of executive power and the scope of individual freedoms.
