US states to deploy National Guard troops to Washington, DC – DW – 08/17/2025
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced Saturday that he is deploying 300 to 400 National Guard troops to Washington.
"West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation's capital," Morrisey said in a statement.
The deployment is part of the Trump administration's effort to crack down on crime and homelessness.
Maj. Gen. James Seward, West Virginia's adjutant general, said that members of the state's National Guard "stand ready to support our partners in the National Capital Region and contribute to the collective effort of making our nation's capital a clean and safe environment."
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Apart from Morrissey, two other Republican governors are also sending their states' National Guard troops to the country's capital to support Trump's effort.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster authorized the deployment of 200 of his state's National Guardsmen.
"Our National Guard will work to assist President Trump's mission, and should a hurricane or natural disaster threaten our state, they can and will be immediately recalled home to respond," McMaster wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that his state would deploy 150 military police. "None of these military police members are currently serving as law enforcement officers in the state of Ohio," DeWine said in a statement.
The announcements come as protesters pushed back on the increased presence of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in Washington, DC.
In a letter to city residents, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, wrote that "our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now."
She called on Washington residents to stick together, "We will show the entire nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy — even when we don't have full access to it."
On Monday, Trump put the metropolitan police department of Washington, DC, under federal control. He declared an emergency due to the "city government's failure to maintain public order."
"Crime is out of control in the District of Columbia. (…) The magnitude of the violent crime crisis places the District of Columbia among the most violent jurisdictions in the United States," according to the official White House statement.
However, on Friday, the Trump administration retracted its previous decision and agreed to let the Washington, DC police chief remain in charge of the police force after a federal court's order.
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