National Guard troops in DC to more than double under Trump's federal takeover

Washington [US], August 19 (ANI): The number of National Guard troops patrolling Washington, DC, is set to more than double in the coming days after Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, and West Virginia committed personnel to support US President Trump's federal takeover of the city, The Hill reported.

Coupled with reports that some guard members may soon be armed, a reversal of their initial orders, the deployments mark a major escalation of Trump's efforts to take control of law enforcement in Washington, DC, according to The Hill.

Currently, roughly 800 D.C. National Guard troops are deployed in the capital. They will be joined by about 200 personnel from Mississippi, between 300 and 400 from West Virginia, 150 from Ohio, and 200 from South Carolina, beefing up a presence that has largely remained idle around low-crime, tourist-heavy areas in the city, The Hill reported.

"Crime is out of control there, and it's clear something must be done to combat it," Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said in a statement on Monday, becoming the latest Republican governor to respond to the Trump administration's request.

West Virginia, Ohio, and South Carolina pledged their state troops over the weekend to support Trump's federal crackdown on crime and homelessness in the Democratic-led city, according to The Hill.

Some Republican governors, however, have declined to send troops. Vermont Governor Phil Scott "politely declined" Trump's request to deploy Vermont National Guard soldiers to Washington, DC. "While public safety is a legitimate concern in cities across the country and certainly in the nation's capital, in the absence of an immediate emergency or disaster that local and regional first responders are unable to handle, the governor just does not support utilizing the guard for this purpose, and does not view the enforcement of domestic law as a proper use of the National Guard," Scott's chief of staff Jason Gibbs said Friday, The Hill reported.

Gibbs added, "But in this case, because it is being hyperpoliticized, the governor doesn't feel like -- and I believe the vast majority of Vermonters don't feel like -- it would be an acceptable and appropriate use of the National Guard."

Trump launched the federal takeover of DC through an executive order declaring a "crime emergency" in the city, taking control of the city's police department and sending federal agents, including some from the DEA, ICE, FBI, and Secret Service, to the streets despite a sharp drop in crime since 2023, according to The Hill.

Critics have called the effort a photo op and a militarization of Washington, DC, with Mayor Muriel Bowser pushing back on Trump's characterization of the city. "We don't have any authority over the D.C. guard or any other guards, but I think it makes the point that this is not about DC crime," Bowser said. "The focus should be on violent crime. Nobody is against focusing on driving down any level of violence. And so if this is really about immigration enforcement the administration should make that plain."

So far, National Guard members in DC have assisted law enforcement with crowd control and patrolling typically low-crime areas such as the National Mall, Lincoln Memorial, and Union Station.

It remains unclear why additional troops have been requested by Trump, as the guard's role has been limited and many have been seen standing idly near their vehicles. However, guard members may soon be armed while on patrol.

Initial orders required troops to wear body armour but remain unarmed and not carry weapons in their vehicles, an Army statement said Thursday. Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson added that guard members will not conduct law enforcement activities while in DC, but may temporarily detain individuals until authorities arrive.

The White House said in a statement on Saturday, however, that National Guard troops "may be armed, consistent with their mission and training, to protect federal assets, provide a safe environment for law enforcement officers to make arrests, and deter violent crime with a visible law enforcement presence." (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)