Hundreds of more National Guard soldiers are being sent to Washington, D.C., from six Republican-controlled states, ramping up President Donald Trump’s contentious decision to inundate the U.S. capital with soldiers and federal law enforcement officers. Trump has claimed the action was needed to fight violent crime, as city authorities and opponents contend that the deployment is political and legally dubious.
New Deployments from GOP Governors
Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee Republican governors all agreed to new deployments this week, adding to previous commitments by West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio. Combined, the six states are deploying over 1,100 National Guard members to the country’s capital.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said that around 135 troops would be deployed, while Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves stated 200 troops would be sent. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee also authorized 160 troops, local news reported.
“Crime is out of control there, and it’s clear something must be done to combat it,” Reeves said in a statement.
Trump’s Extraordinary Move
On August 11, Trump announced he had sent 800 Guard troops to Washington and taken temporary command of the city police department. The action was an unprecedented exercise of presidential authority over the District of Columbia. The federal government also sent agents from several agencies, including the FBI, to patrol the streets.
After being challenged legally by the city’s attorney general, Trump’s administration reached an agreement with Mayor Muriel Bowser to permit Police Chief Pamela Smith to maintain operational control over the department.
Testing the Limits of Presidential Authority
Whereas governors generally command their state Guard units, Washington’s National Guard answers directly to the president. Trump has already pushed the boundaries of this power, such as in June, when he deployed Guard soldiers and active-duty Marines into Los Angeles to protest immigration raids — over the opposition of California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. That deployment is still in federal court.
Federal law specifically forbids the military from being used for domestic law enforcement purposes, although National Guard soldiers under state control can occasionally be deployed in support roles.
Historical Precedent and Legal Concerns
This isn’t the first time Guard soldiers have been brought in to Washington. In Trump’s first term in 2020, Guard units from several states were brought in to suppress racial justice protests. Their roles then covered crowd control and protecting federal buildings, although critics cautioned the deployment blurred military and policing authorities.
Legal activists and civil rights organizations now claim that the ongoing operation poses the same issues. They consider Trump’s deployment of state Guards in Washington to be a precedent that could lead to armed troops being dispatched to Democrat-run cities against their will.
White House Response and Arrest Figures
A White House spokesman emphasized on Tuesday that Guard soldiers deployed in Washington are mostly guarding federal property and aren’t empowered to make arrests. Rather, they’re intended to provide “a safe environment for law enforcement officers to make arrests.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi released that 465 arrests have been made in 12 days since the operation was set in motion, averaging 39 arrests a day. The Metropolitan Police Department averaged 61 arrests a day in 2024, according to city statistics.
Though declining violent crime rates since a 2023 surge, Trump has characterized Washington as “overrun with violence and homelessness.” Local leaders firmly counter this framing, with federal overreach robbing the city of its autonomy, they claim.
The controversy surrounding the legality, need, and scope of the Guard deployment is likely to get fiercer in the weeks to come as lawsuits continue and additional states are pressured to sign up to Trump’s security program.
