119-hres543

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 543 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 543

Recognizing the right to peacefully protest and condemning violence and 
 authoritarian responses to expressions of dissent.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 June 25, 2025

 Ms. Barragan (for herself, Mr. Aguilar, Mr. Bera, Ms. Brownley, Ms. 
 Bynum, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Ms. Chu, Mr. Cisneros, 
 Mr. Correa, Mr. Costa, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Ms. DelBene, Mr. 
 DeSaulnier, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Espaillat, Ms. Friedman, Mr. Garamendi, 
 Mr. Garcia of California, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mr. Gomez, Mrs. Hayes, 
 Mr. Huffman, Mr. Ivey, Ms. Jacobs, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. 
 Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Kennedy of New York, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Landsman, Mr. 
Larsen of Washington, Mr. Latimer, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Mr. Levin, Mr. 
Liccardo, Mr. Lieu, Ms. Lofgren, Ms. Matsui, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Min, Mr. 
 Morelle, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Panetta, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Peters, Ms. 
Pettersen, Ms. Rivas, Mr. Ruiz, Ms. Salinas, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Sherman, 
 Ms. Simon, Mr. Swalwell, Mr. Takano, Mr. Thanedar, Mr. Thompson of 
 California, Mrs. Torres of California, Mr. Tran, Mr. Vargas, Ms. 
Waters, Mr. Whitesides, Mr. Gray, and Ms. Ross) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and 
 in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
 of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
 concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

Recognizing the right to peacefully protest and condemning violence and 
 authoritarian responses to expressions of dissent.

Whereas U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    (ICE) agents recently carried 
 out immigration enforcement raids in Southern California;
Whereas prioritizing the removal of individuals who pose a clear threat to 
 public safety, such as those convicted of violent crimes, is essential 
 to maintaining trust and justice in the immigration system;
Whereas ICE has conducted raids by deploying unmarked Federal agents to detain 
 individuals on the streets, at their homes, and at places of employment;
Whereas many citizens objected to the ICE raids and peacefully protested ICE 
 activity, primarily in an approximately 10-block area of downtown Los 
 Angeles, California;
Whereas the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States protects 
 ``the right of the people peaceably to assemble'';
Whereas peaceful protest is a cornerstone of American democracy and an essential 
 means for individuals to express dissent, demand change, and advocate 
 for justice;
Whereas troublemakers also infiltrated these peaceful demonstrations and 
 committed unlawful acts of violence, vandalism, looting, and destruction 
 of property;
Whereas these unlawful acts harm small businesses;
Whereas such acts of violence undermine the goals of peaceful protest and 
 endanger the safety and security of all community members;
Whereas law enforcement and elected officials provided clear assurances that 
 those who committed violent acts will be arrested and prosecuted;
Whereas local and state law enforcement agencies successfully worked to protect 
 the public, ensure the safety of peaceful demonstrators, and restore 
 order in areas impacted by violence;
Whereas the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department assessed the situation 
 was ``nowhere near a level'' where the Department would need assistance 
 from the National Guard;
Whereas public officials have a responsibility to lower the temperature and not 
 enflame tensions;
Whereas, on June 7, 2025, the President activated 2,000 members of the 
 California National Guard to Los Angeles and subsequently authorized an 
 additional 2,000 National Guard personnel to be placed on standby for 
 potential Federal activation;
Whereas the legal authority the Trump Administration cited for the activation, 
 10 U.S.C. 

Sec. 12406, permits federalization of the National Guard only 
 in specific and extraordinary circumstances--including invasion, 
 rebellion, or the inability of regular forces to execute the law--none 
 of which were present;
Whereas 10 U.S.C. 

Sec. 12406 also requires orders to activate the National Guard 
 be issued through the governor of the affected state;
Whereas the President activated the National Guard without any request from the 
 Governor of California;
Whereas the activation of the National Guard escalated and inflamed the 
 situation;
Whereas the President also deployed 700 active-duty Marines to the Los Angeles 
 area, further escalating the situation;
Whereas the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the use of active-duty armed forces 
 for domestic law enforcement except in limited circumstances, none of 
 which the President invoked;
Whereas the acting Comptroller of the Department of Defense, Bryn MacDonnell, 
 testified to Congress that the deployment of National Guard members and 
 Marines to Los Angeles is estimated to cost $134 million over the 60-day 
 deployment; and
Whereas deploying the National Guard and active-duty military personnel into a 
 U.S. city without invoking the proper statutory authorities nor 
 coordinating with state and local government officials is illegal, 
 irresponsible, a disproportionate response which increases the 
 likelihood of violence, exacerbates the situation, presents a logistical 
 challenge to local law enforcement, and threatens the safety of the 
 public and all law enforcement personnel: Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

    (1) reaffirms its support for the First Amendment right to 
 peacefully assemble and protest;

    (2) supports civil rights and civil liberties, including 
 the right to due process, for all persons;

    (3) condemns instigators who have committed acts of 
 violence against law enforcement, vandalism, looting, and 
 destruction of property;

    (4) emphasizes that all law enforcement, including 
 Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has a duty to conduct 
 their operations with transparency and accountability to the 
 public;

    (5) denounces the inflammatory language of the Trump 
 Administration that has worsened tensions within U.S. 
 communities;

    (6) reiterates support for the military servicemembers in 
 the Marines and National Guard while objecting to their current 
 California deployment; and

    (7) commends the law enforcement officers who worked to 
 protect public safety, enabled peaceful protests, and upheld 
 the rule of law during these challenging times.
 <all>