Air National Guard troops walk toward the entrance of the Joint Force Headquarters of the District of Columbia National Guard in Washington on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — Dozens of National Guard members began arriving in the nation’s capital Tuesday following President Donald Trump’s order for troops to deploy throughout the city to crack down on crime.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Gen. James Mingus, the Army vice chief of staff, visited the D.C. Armory to greet troops and leaders as they prepare for the mission.
“Secretary Driscoll wanted the D.C. National Guard soldiers to know first-hand that they have support from the very top of the Army and that we have every confidence in their skill, discipline, and professionalism to support our law enforcement partners and accomplish this mission,” Lt. Col. Jeff Tolbert, a spokesman for Driscoll, said in a statement.
Trump threatened last week to take federal control of Washington after a former Department of Government Efficiency employee was attacked during an attempted carjacking.
Trump on Monday ordered 800 Guard troops to help quell crime in the city and said the federal government would take control of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Under the city’s Home Rule Act, the president can take over the D.C. police for a period of up to 30 days by declaring “special conditions of an emergency nature exist.” After that time, the police would revert to local control unless Congress passes a law to allow a longer period of federal control.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday said the D.C. National Guard will be “flowing into the streets of Washington in the coming week.”
During an appearance on Fox News Monday night, Hegseth was asked how long the Guard would be on the city’s streets.
“I don’t know, weeks, months. What will it take? That’s the president’s call, but we’re going to be there for him to execute as swiftly as possible,” he responded.
The Army activated the D.C. National Guard on Monday under Title 32 to assist law enforcement in Washington, the service said.
Of the 800 Guard members activated, between 100-200 troops will be supporting law enforcement at any given time. Their duties will include an array of tasks from administrative, logistics and physical presence in support of law enforcement, the Army said.
“It’s getting worse, not getting better. It’s getting worse,” Trump said about the rate of violent crime in Washington.
D.C. police data indicates violent crime has decreased 26% compared with last year. The D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office also announced in January that violent crime in the city in 2024 was at a 30-year low, citing police data.
Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday defended the police department’s efforts, citing a downward trend in crime incidents from a 2023 spike, and downplayed the “so-called emergency” that catalyzed Trump’s order.
“While this action today is unsettling and unprecedented, I can’t say that given some of the rhetoric of the past, that we’re totally surprised,” Bowser said.
