Posse Comitatus

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Soldiers from the 143rd Military Police Company, 49th Military Police Brigade, California National Guard, serving under Title 10 status, establish a security perimeter in Mecca, Calif., June 18, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is supporting federal agencies by providing military forces to protect federal functions, personnel, and property in the greater Los Angeles area. On June 7, the Secretary of Defense directed USNORTHCOM to establish Task Force 51 to oversee Title 10 forces supporting this mission. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Chase Murray)

Trump’s Use of Federal Troops in Drug Raid Outside of Los Angeles: An Alarming Escalation

"An alarming escalation of the president's efforts to use the military as a domestic police force. Based on currently available information, it appears to be illegal, as well"
Screenshot from Newsom v. Trump hearing in 9th District Court of Appeals (via YouTube)

Posse Comitatus Act Meets the President’s “Protective Powers”: What’s Next in Newsom v. Trump

"Congress has been far more clear than is widely believed about what its view is..."
California National Guard members stand guard outside the Federal Building as protests continue in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles on June 10, 2025. (Photo by APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images)

The Mounting Crisis of Militarizing Immigration Enforcement

When part-time soldiers police their neighbors, federal authority displaces state and local officials, and strains civil-military relations.
National Guard soldiers and US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Police officers clash with demonstrators outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, MDC, in downtown Los Angeles, California on June 8, 2025. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

“The Insurrection Act” by Any Other Name: Unpacking Trump’s Memorandum Authorizing Domestic Deployment of the Military

"The Memorandum ... raises many of the same concerns as an Insurrection Act invocation would, and that could end up looking quite similar in practice."
Tank and soldiers shown on Mexico border

The New “National Defense Area” at the Southern Border: What You Need to Know

NSPM-4 creates a military area that is twice the size of Washington, D.C. and expands the military’s role in stopping cross-border migration.
A US Army soldier monitors the US-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas

What Just Happened: The Framing of a Migration “Invasion” and the Use of Military Authorities

An expert explainer on the Executive Order on the "Invasion" Executive Order and deployment of troops.
The episode title appears with sound waves behind it.

The Just Security Podcast: What Just Happened Series, Potential U.S. Military Domestic Deployment for Immigration Enforcement

Analyzing legal and policy implications of President Trump using US military resources to support immigration enforcement at the border.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order

What Just Happened: Unpacking Exec Order on National Emergency at the Southern Border

An expert explainer on the Executive Order Declaring National Emergency Southern Border and deployment of troops.
On the left, the lower body of a soldier holding a rifle behind a fence. One the right, a white truck.

Deployment of the U.S. Military for Immigration Enforcement: A Primer

An expert explainer by leading expert on the domestic deployment of the U.S. military.
An overhead view of the Pentagon building in Washington, DC.

Much Ado About Nothing: Recent Changes to Department of Defense Directive 5240.01

Recent changes to this Defense Department directive do not reflect any change in policy and provide no new authority to deploy the military domestically or to use lethal force…
Members of the D.C. National Guard stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as demonstrators participate in a peaceful protest against police brutality and the death of George Floyd, on June 2, 2020 in Washington, DC.

The Anonymous Military Leaders with the Weight of the Election on Their Shoulders

The legal and ethical frameworks that senior civilian and military leaders need to consider.

Expert Backgrounder: Federalizing the National Guard and Domestic Use of the Military

An expert explainer on when the President of the United States can 'federalize" the National Guard and deploy U.S. military forces domestically.
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