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The National Guard began increasing its presence in Washington on Thursday, deploying troops to the National Mall and Metro stations as President Donald Trump's federal takeover of city crime-fighting operations takes shape, The Hill reported.
Overnight, initial signs of public resistance emerged at a checkpoint that temporarily halted traffic on one of the city's main streets. The White House said more than 1,600 personnel were involved in operations across the city on Wednesday, making 45 arrests, mostly of immigrants without permanent legal status. While the Guard's presence was relatively small earlier in the week, by Thursday all roughly 800 Army and Air National Guard troops ordered by Trump had mobilized for duty, Pentagon officials confirmed. "They will remain until law and order has been restored in the district as determined by the president, standing as the gatekeepers of our great nation's capital," Department of Defense press secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters at the Pentagon. She added that Guard members will assist the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and federal law enforcement officers with "community safety patrols," protecting monuments, federal facilities and traffic control posts, and "area beautification." "It's a deterrent. It makes people feel safe," Kingsley said. According to The Hill, Guard members have steadily increased their presence since Monday evening. On Thursday, troops were positioned around the National Mall and Metro stops such as Union Station, where tourists stopped to take photos of the vehicles and service members standing in nearly 90-degree heat. National Guard Bureau spokesperson Maj. Micah Maxwell told The Hill that the deployment involves two teams at the National Mall and nearby Metro stations to maintain a continuous 24-hour presence, with plans to expand to additional locations in the coming days. "It will be a slow increase, so I wouldn't expect to see a big increase of soldiers and airmen across the city," Maxwell said. The Guard's role is to support law enforcement. They will not be armed and cannot make arrests, though they may temporarily detain individuals until federal agents arrive. "They will not be arresting people," Wilson said. "They may temporarily limit the movement of an individual who has entered a restricted or secured area without permission." "The idea is that [the Guard] allows the lead federal agencies then to take their officer personnel to some of the other high crime areas to start addressing that crime," Maxwell added, The Hill reported. A mix of federal officers set up a vehicle checkpoint on 14th Street NW on Wednesday night, drawing some of the first public protests against Trump's announcement. Protesters held signs reading "Go home, fascists" and "Get off our streets," The Associated Press reported. Social media also showed smaller acts of resistance, including a man shouting at National Guard members near Union Station, filmmaker Ford Fischer shared. Despite scattered opposition, city leaders and Congressional Democrats face a delicate balance between pushing back against Trump's actions and addressing residents' crime concerns. While violent crime in Washington is at a 30-year low, a Washington Post poll last year found 65 percent of residents considered crime an "extremely serious" or "very serious problem." Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) initially expressed cautious support, saying, "The fact that we have more law enforcement and presence in neighborhoods, that may be positive." She later urged residents to "jump in" to "protect our city and to protect our autonomy" during a virtual town hall, The Hill reported. Trump has indicated plans to extend the federal takeover of D.C. police, which requires Congressional approval beyond 30 days. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, "No f---ing way. We'll fight him tooth and nail. ... He needs to get Congress to approve it, and not only are we not going to approve it, but there are some Republicans who don't like either." The administration is also considering expanding similar federal interventions in other major U.S. cities with Black Democratic mayors, including Chicago, Oakland, New York City, and Baltimore. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott told CNN, "The president could learn from us instead of throwing things at us." Plans are under discussion for a 600-person National Guard "quick reaction force" to rapidly deploy to cities in response to protests or unrest, potentially funded through the Pentagon's fiscal 2027 budget, The Washington Post reported. The cost of the current D.C. deployment will likely be estimated after the mission concludes, Wilson added. (ANI)
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