National Guard May Take on Urban Crime in Washington, D.C.

A federal directive is being considered that would deploy the National Guard to Washington, D.C., to address the urbanized crime, as a part of President Trump’s tough-on-crime strategy. On early Monday, an official directive had not been cleared, but an announcement is anticipated from the President. It is believed that he will introduce the strategy at a press briefing at the White House, indicating the deployment of several hundred National Guard members from the District of Columbia. The primary purpose of the deployment is to provide backup to the law enforcement officers stationed in the capital city.

Despite a downward trend in crimes within Washington, D.C., Trump has criticized the law and order situation in the city, declaring it ‘entirely unmanaged,’ and suggesting the possibility of a federal intervention. As reported by Reuters, the proposed activation of the National Guard may not provide them with the power to make arrests. The idea is that these troops would play a supportive role to local law enforcement, potentially lightening their workload and freeing them to delight in overseeing patrol tasks.

As an integral part of Trump’s tough-on-crime approach, the administration also plans to repurpose about 120 FBI agents stationed in Washington for overnight patrol duties temporarily. This reassignment will require most of these agents to step back from their day-to-day roles at the FBI’s field office located in Washington.

The forthcoming activation of National Guard troops in D.C. follows a similar move earlier in the summer, when roughly 5,000 troops were deployed in Los Angeles. The deployment was intended to pacify protests ignited by immigration sweeps. These National Guard soldiers provided protection to the federal officers responsible for carrying out these immigration operations.

Since that summer, the number of National Guard soldiers based in Los Angeles has decreased significantly; approximately 250 of them now remain. This isn’t the first time that Trump has involved National Guard personnel and federal law enforcement in domestic affairs. Unprecedented measures were taken during his initial term to handle peaceful demonstrations.

Such deployments were notably utilized during the protests organized by Black Lives Matters after the police murder of George Floyd in 2020. Unlike governors, who have the power to control the National Guard within their respective states, the situation differs concerning the District of Columbia.

The District of Columbia lacks authority over its National Guard, thus giving expansive freedom to the President for deploying these troops as needed. This situation lends considerable weight to the President’s ability to deal with law and order issues in Washington, D.C. While the implications of this authority are far-reaching, it also underscores the considerable responsibilities of the office.