LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens is looking to limit presidential power just as President Donald Trump uses it to restore order in California.
A formal request.
The Birmingham Democrat announced on June 23 that she plans to introduce legislation barring presidents from sending active-duty troops into any state or U.S. territory without a formal request from local leaders.
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The move follows Trump’s deployment of active-duty Marines and thousands of National Guard troops to California earlier this month, amid hostile protests against the deportation of illegal immigrants.
“We are a nation of laws and it’s about time the President begins to follow them,” Stevens told The Detroit News, accusing Trump of acting unlawfully.
Protests turn violent.
The protests—led in part by foreign nationals in the country illegally—have turned violent in several cities. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrat officials objected to the deployment, even as local police struggled to keep control.
Trump defended the move, saying public safety and border security must come first. Just last week, a federal appeals court upheld Trump’s authority to keep 4,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles, backing his effort to secure federal sites and assist immigration enforcement, according to CBS News.
Stevens, meanwhile, accused him of escalating tensions and violating due process.
A political move?
Her office claims the proposal would clarify that the Insurrection Act of 1807 does not allow troop deployments during “peaceful protests”—a description critics say does not match the footage out of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Oakland.
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Stevens is also running for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat and has used the issue to spotlight her opposition to Trump’s second-term policies. The legislation, however, is unlikely to gain traction in a GOP-controlled Congress.