West Virginia governor to deploy National Guard troops to US capital

The Star

4 hours ago

FILE PHOTO: Members of the FBI and the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) run at the Navy Yard–Ballpark metro station in Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 15, 2025. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/File Photo
(Reuters) -West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey is deploying 300 to 400 National Guard troops to the District of Columbia at the request of the Trump administration, the governor's office said on Saturday.
The deployment is "a show of commitment to public safety and regional cooperation" and will include providing equipment and specialized training alongside the "approximately 300-400 skilled personnel as directed," Morrisey's office said in a statement.
Drew Galang, a spokesperson for Morrisey, said the state's National Guard received the order to send equipment and personnel to D.C. late on Friday and was working to organize the deployment.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump said he was deploying hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington and temporarily taking over the city's police department to curb what he depicted as a crime and homelessness emergency in the nation's capital.
A White House official said on Saturday that more National Guard troops would be called in to Washington to "protect federal assets, create a safe environment for law enforcement officials to carry out their duties when required, and provide a visible presence to deter crime."
A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a formal order was expected to go out that would authorize National Guard troops in D.C. to carry firearms. The official said this order would affect mostly military police officers with sidearms. Reuters has previously reported that the National Guard troops would have weapons nearby, such as in their vehicles.
The White House said on Saturday that D.C. National Guard members have conducted patrols on foot and in vehicles around the National Mall and Union Station. The White House said the National Guard troops are not making arrests at this time, and that they may be armed.
NEGOTIATED DEAL
According to U.S. Justice Department data, violent crime in 2024 hit a 30-year low in Washington, technically a self-governing federal district under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.
District of Columbia officials and the Trump administration negotiated a deal on Friday to keep D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's appointed police chief, Pamela Smith, in charge of the police department after D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit to block the federal takeover of the department.
Trump, a Republican who has suggested he could take similar actions in other Democratic-controlled cities, has sought to expand the powers of the presidency in his second term, inserting himself into the affairs of major banks, law firms and elite universities.
It is not clear how the administration could deploy National Guard troops elsewhere. A federal judge in San Francisco is expected in the coming weeks to issue a ruling on whether Trump violated the law by deploying National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June without the approval of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The National Guard serves as a militia that answers to the governors of the 50 states except when called into federal service. The D.C. National Guard, however, reports directly to the president.
(Reporting by AJ Vicens in Detroit; Editing by Donna Bryson, Matthew Lewis and Paul Simao)