New Jersey Democrat gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) vowed Monday to take President Donald Trump to court if his administration sends National Guard troops to the Garden State to crack down on crime.
Sherrill, who represents New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, made the comments during a Univision 41 Nueva York town hall.
She was asked by an audience member what she would do if Trump deployed federal troops to tackle crime.
The man who asked the question said his family had fled Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro’s socialist regime.
Sherrill promised an immediate legal fight.
“American troops should not be on the streets of our country,” Sherrill said.
“That’s only for rare cases like an insurrection or a national crisis.
“Troops are not trained for policing missions like local law enforcement.
“And that’s why, as governor, should Trump try to deploy troops on our streets, I would be very opposed to that.
“I’d immediately take him to court and demand that he stop this — because I think it’s illegal — and ensure that here in New Jersey, people are kept safe.”
A Clash Over Trump’s Crime Crackdown
Since returning to the White House in January, President Trump has either sent or threatened to send National Guard forces to nearly a dozen crime-infested U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Memphis, as part of his sweeping “law and order” agenda.
Trump officials argue the deployments are necessary to restore peace and protect federal officers amid surging violent crime and attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
However, Democrats have pushed back, accusing the administration of federal overreach and warning that military intervention inflames tensions.
The legal battles are mounting.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, have already sued the Trump administration over its plan to federalize hundreds of Guard troops for Chicago.
A federal judge in Oregon also blocked Trump’s deployment of 200 Guard members to Portland last month, ruling the order exceeded his statutory authority.
High Stakes For New Jersey
Sherrill, a former Navy pilot and federal prosecutor, is running to succeed term-limited Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy.
She faces Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli in what is expected to be a closely watched race.
Her vow to sue over potential troop deployments highlights how Trump’s crime crackdown is reshaping state-level politics, with Democrat leaders across the country pledging resistance even as the administration doubles down.
Last month, a federal judge found the Trump administration “willfully” broke the law when it deployed Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier this year during protests over immigration enforcement.
That ruling has emboldened Democrats like Sherrill to signal they will take similar action if Trump extends deployments to their states.
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