On Monday, President Trump declared plans to send approximately 800 members of the National Guard from Washington, D.C. to the capital, aiming to address street crime in the area.
He emphasized this action as part of a broader initiative to tackle violent offenses like murder and robbery, even though those crimes have seen a decline in the last two years.
“This is DC’s release day, and we’re going to reclaim our capital,” Trump stated during a press conference at the White House, where he announced federal oversight of the city’s police department.
“I’ve deployed the National Guard to help restore law, order, and public safety in Washington, D.C., and they are authorized to perform their duties effectively,” he added.
This decision quickly sparked backlash from local and Congressional Democrats, who labeled it as “uneasy” and accused him of making “brave power grabs,” while some Republicans voiced their support.
Here’s a summary of the situation:
Official Order
In official notes to Defense Secretary Pete Hegses, Trump invoked constitutional authority to send numerous guards to the city, referencing recent high-profile crimes.
The memo instructs Hegseth to mobilize the DC National Guard based on his assessment of what is needed to cope with the crime uptick.
It also opens the door for additional guards from other states, with Hegses directed to coordinate with governors as deemed necessary and appropriate.
“We have other units ready to be deployed, other National Guard units and specialized teams,” Heggs mentioned at a press conference.
Interestingly, the memo doesn’t provide a timeline for the deployments, leaving the terms for law and order restoration under Trump’s discretion.
The National Guard will operate under title 32 status, meaning they will work with local governments but receive federal funding, thus not affected by the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits military involvement in law enforcement.
When and where?
Later statements from Army officials indicated that around 800 DC National Guard members would be activated for administrative and logistical roles alongside their law enforcement support.
However, only 100-200 soldiers will be on the ground assisting law enforcement at any one time.
Details about the specific assignments and operational orders for the soldiers are still pending.
While it’s uncertain when they will appear around the city, Hegses mentioned that the guards will “flow into the streets of Washington next week.”
Trump also indicated a willingness to send active-duty troops to Washington if deemed necessary and suggested that similar actions could extend to other cities if he saw continued “out of control” crime rates.
“You’re essentially going to have a lot of military forces in place, and they can be brought in as needed,” he remarked.
Similar playbook
This decision aligns with Trump’s previous strategies, where he employed military forces for political purposes. Recently, he sent about 4,000 California National Guard personnel and 700 Marines to aid immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.
In addition, Trump deployed around 10,000 guards to the US-Mexico border to bolster law enforcement against migration, despite a sustained lack of intensive border crossings.
In the summer of 2020, he dispatched over 5,000 guards in Washington to respond to largely peaceful protests advocating for racial justice after George Floyd’s death.
This mobilization resulted in conflicts with demonstrators, despite poorly trained personnel being involved.
Moreover, Trump ordered soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to remain near the city, raising the potential for escalating tension.
Notably, there’s no record of Trump ordering National Guard assistance during the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, despite the scene becoming violent, leading to injuries among police officers before the guards eventually arrived.
Typically, DC Guard members are mobilized for humanitarian missions, especially after natural disasters.
What lawmakers say
Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser referred to Trump’s actions as “unstable and unprecedented,” though she admitted she wasn’t completely caught off guard.
“I think I speak for many Americans when I say it’s not legal to use American troops against American citizens on U.S. soil,” she stated during a press conference.
D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton criticized Trump’s military and police intervention, recalling his reluctance to deploy security guards back on January 6.
“It’s hard not to view the president’s call for the DCNG as unnecessary, given that crime figures don’t support such a move, especially when he didn’t act promptly during the Capitol riots,” she asserted.
Norton emphasized that the DC National Guard should be under the jurisdiction of the DC Mayor, mirroring how governors manage state guard units.
Norton, along with Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), has proposed legislation to enforce such control, but their initiatives face stiff resistance in Congress, which is largely Republican-controlled.
