On Tuesday morning, the first National Guard troops began arriving at the D.C. Armory. The guardsmen, the first of approximately 800, arrived at the local headquarters of the National Guard dressed in military uniforms. The troops were mobilized on Monday and could be deployed until September 25 to assist with law enforcement in the nation’s capital.
“Currently, the National Guard is being deployed to protect federal assets, provide a safe environment for law enforcement officers to make arrests, and deter violent crime with a visible law enforcement presence,” a White House official told NBC News on Monday.
President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard, citing a “crime emergency” that also included taking over control of the city’s police department. Critics of the move argue that crime has been decreasing and is at a 30-year low, further suggesting that it is an overreach of federal power that undermines D.C.’s local autonomy.
Support From Law Enforcement
In an interview with NBC News, Greggory Pemberton, chairman of the D.C. Police Union, expressed support. He suggested that crime has remained “ubiquitous” in Washington, D.C., and that the deployment of the National Guard would help an overtaxed police department.
Yet, Pemberton also suggested that the deployment would have only a temporary impact and that when the guardsmen and federal agents depart, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will be unable to maintain any gains in fighting crime. The issue stems from a staffing shortage of more than 800 officers, while the union official criticized the district’s law that fails “to hold criminals accountable.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has been critical of the plan, pointing to official statistics that show crime has been steadily dropping in the city.
The deployment of the guardsmen to Washington, D.C., comes after the White House had deployed the National Guard in California to crack down on protests against immigration enforcement activities in Los Angeles in June. As TheHill.com reported, the roughly 4,000 California troops, joined by 700 United States Marines who were sent to protect buildings, essentially had nothing to do as the protests quickly died down.
National Guard Deployments to D.C.
This will not be the first deployment of the National Guard to the D.C. More than 25,000 guardsmen were stationed across the district during President Joe Biden’s inauguration. The National Guard reinforced security perimeters, staffed checkpoints, and guarded key buildings in the city.
Guardsmen continued to maintain a visible presence in D.C. for several months, with nearly 2,000 troops stationed around the city until May 2021.
During President Trump’s first term, in June 2020, approximately 1,200 local guardsmen, joined by 3,900 troops from other states, supported the MPD as protests broke out following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. The troops were deployed to protect federal property and to enforce a curfew.
The D.C. National Guard, unlike State National Guard units that their respective state governors control, is under the control of the president of the United States. It has been used to help fight crime in the past, with close coordination with the MPD.
That occurred during the late 1980s and early 1990s, to help fight drug trafficking. However, it has been noted that the National Guard troops took on other duties, including clerical tasks that freed up police officers to work the streets.
The Origin of the D.C. National Guard
As previously reported, the District of Columbia National Guard can trace its origins back to a time before there was even a district, and when militia units were first formed in Georgetown and Baldensburg. After the American Revolution, Congress officially recognized those and numerous militias of the United States, which in time became the National Guard.
However, when it was decided that a new capital city was to be created, an issue arose over which militia would protect it, as the city wasn’t established in a state and therefore there was no governor. Thus, in 1802, the D.C. National Guard was created with a national mission to protect the Federal Government. It is also the only National Guard that reports only to the U.S. president.
