HI National Guard Troops Still Occupy DC

UNITED STATES SENATOR ANKIT JAIN CALLS ON GOVERNOR JOSH GREEN TO REMOVE HAWAI'I NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS FROM WASHINGTON, DC

(Washington, DC)–Semiquincentennial celebrations have all but concluded, yet Hawai’i National Guard just arrived in Washington, DC right after the Fourth of July holiday. Although the National Guard Joint Task Force (JTF-DC) overseeing the troops maintains that support is for Freedom 250 – itself a federal government vanity project – the troops will be focused on "public safety." On the ground, this means a police force that can be federalized at the whim of President Trump.

Hawaii’s adjutant general, Major General Stephen F. Logan stated his believe that the state’s troops will not be supporting the “Safe and Beautiful Mission.” These assurances were also given by Governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Tim Waltz of Minnesota, but on-the-ground evidence contradicts these repeated, empty assurances from Democratic governors.

In response, U.S. Senator Ankit Jain (D-DC) issued the following statement: "Governor Josh Green decided that Hawai’i would not be part of the Great American State Fair, a landmark of the nation’s 250th birthday, and instead opted to focus on celebrating locally. Yet, he approved Hawai’i’s troops to be deployed for at least three months working under a federal command structure built to occupy DC and make residents feel as if their city is under siege.

Governor Green’s decision to send Hawai’ian troops to sit armed under the Trump administration’s command for several more months while America250 events have almost entirely wrapped up disrespects the will of 700,000 Americans who call DC home and who don’t have a voice in this occupation. We are tired of Democratic governors treating our streets as an imaginary stage, and not as the home of everyday American citizens.

I have a simple request for Governor Green: send the Hawai’ian National Guard home now."