Hey all,
This is something I feel that everyone here at r/50501 and wider Trump opposition groups needs to be made aware of as it will likely affect protest groups and the political situation in the U.S. On Trump’s first day in office, January 20th, he signed an executive order titled: “Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States”. Section 6b reads:
“(b) Within 90 days of the date of this proclamation, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit a joint report to the President about the conditions at the southern border of the United States and any recommendations regarding additional actions that may be necessary to obtain complete operational control of the southern border, including whether to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807.”
In short, by the end of that 90 day period on Sunday 20th April, the Secretary of Defence and the Secretary of Homeland Security will submit that joint report to President Trump and discuss whether to invoke the Insurrection Act. This is obviously not conclusive that it will be used and we can't infer what may or may not be in the final report, but it's the clearest indication that the Trump administration is taking that possibility seriously and gives some advanced warning.
The Insurrection Act “empowers the President of the United States to deploy the U.S. military and federalized National Guard troops within the United States in particular circumstances, such as to suppress civil disorder, insurrection, or rebellion.” The act provides a statutory exception to the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which limits the use of military personnel under federal command for law enforcement purposes within the United States. Before the President can invoke the powers under the act, the President is required to publish a proclamation ordering the “insurgents” to disperse. With such a proclamation, that may be the first time the American public knows that the Insurrection Act is in use and that the Armed forces may be deployed within the United States itself, creating enormous potential for Presidential abuses of power.
I’m drawing attention to this in the hope that, with this information being more widely shared, Americans may be able to make preparations, both individually and collectively, for continuing opposition to President Trump should the Insurrection Act be invoked. I only learned about this a few days ago after reading an article I found on reddit from the San Franciso Chronicle. Based on search engine results, the story is getting limited attention from some media outlets, such as on justsecurity.org, the New York Times (behind a paywall), 'Livenowfox.com', Blavity and The Mary Sue. But it's hardly game-changing for raising public awareness.
I obviously don't have any answers here, but people need to take this possibility more seriously and it should be discussed more widely amongst Trumps critics, opponents and protesters. For what it's worth, I've set up a subreddit r/preserveprotectdefend/ in the vague hope of exploring all legal and peaceful means of removing Trump from office, and protecting the constitution. Feel free to take a look if you want, but realistically this requires a serious, sustained response, preparation and co-ordination from already established groups who have the resources to react and mobilise public support.
Originally Posted By u/Huey_Freeman2025 At 2025-03-08 11:03:38 AM | Source
