What to know about the National Guard crime crackdown mission in DC

The Herald Scotland

6 days ago

"You will see them flowing into the streets of Washington in the coming weeks," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the news conference. "They will be strong. They will be tough."
The deployment of hundreds of soldiers onto Washington's streets takes Trump's unprecedented use of the military - which he has already ordered to crack down on protests and help deportations - in a new direction.
What will the National Guard troops do?
The mission of 800 DC guard members will resemble how troops are helping immigration agents swarm the southern border, the Army said.
"Between 100 and 200 troops" will support law enforcement "at any given time," according to a statement.
According to the Army, which is responsible for deploying the District of Columbia National Guard, the troops will be tasked with administrative and logistical duties and supporting law enforcement with their "physical presence."
When will the National Guard deploy to Washington DC?
National Guardsmen tapped for the mission will be notified on Aug. 11 and will begin "trickling in within the next week," said Maj. Montrell Russell, an Army spokesperson.
In the coming weeks, at least 500 troops will join the 1,200 National Guard personnel already assigned to carry out administrative duties at immigration enforcement offices in more than a dozen red states - including DNA swabbing and fingerprinting arrestees, USA TODAY previously reported.
The Trump administration has already mobilized thousands of National Guard troops as part of its sweeping plans to deport undocumented immigrants and close down the U.S.-Mexico border. Plans sent to the Pentagon by the Department of Homeland Security requested 20,000 troops to help immigration agents search for undocumented immigrants and migrant children and respond to protests at detention facilities.
Trump said more National Guard troops from other states could also be assigned to the streets of Washington. His mobilization order also authorized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "work with state governors" to use their National Guard troops "if necessary," Will Scharf, a White House aide, said at the news conference.
Is the deployment legal?
The DC National Guard is unique, meaning Trump's use of it skirts restrictions on the military carrying out law enforcement duties.
It operates under the president's control and is mobilized by the Army. It is also not subject to the same bans on carrying out law enforcement functions as state National Guard personnel are when a president deploys them as federal forces.
To deploy National Guard personnel from any of the 50 states to help Washington's police, Trump would need approval from that state's governor.
Trump administration heads to court over National Guard use
The Trump administration is facing legal challenges over his deployment of California National Guard personnel earlier this summer to suppress protests in the Los Angeles area over widespread deportations.
Gavin Newsom, the state's Democratic governor, sued over the deployment, saying it violated the law surrounding when guardsmen can and can't carry out law enforcement-related duties. That case returns to federal court for a trial starting on Aug. 11 - a judge previously ruled in the Trump administration's favor.
Has the National Guard been deployed to D.C. before?
It's not the first time Trump has deployed National Guard personnel to Washington's streets.
In his first term, Trump deployed National Guard troops to suppress protests over racism and police brutality that exploded in the summer of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. Trump brought in troops from the District of Columbia and other states under the permission of 11 governors - an unprecedented mobilization.
DC National Guard troops were at the scene on June 1, 2020, when Park Police sprayed tear gas at a group of peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square next to the White House.