“[The District of Columbia’s] government has lost control of public order and safety,” is what the Trump administration said when it sent the National Guard to Washington early last August. In a presidential memorandum dated Aug. 11, Donald Trump said the district had a violent crime rate “higher than some of the most dangerous places in the world,” later naming Afghanistan — a country currently under the control of the Taliban — as safer than the nation’s capital.
It is not a new thing for Trump and his associates to characterize large cities as crime havens. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in August that “[Los Angeles] wouldn’t be standing today if President Trump [had not] taken action,” referring to an earlier National Guard deployment in Los Angeles, which a federal judge deemed unconstitutional.
But what is the National Guard actually doing in Washington, and why does it matter? What even is the National Guard?
What is the National Guard?
The National Guard is a military force that exists in every state and territory, including in Washington, D.C. It is under the joint control of the federal government and the state, district or territory government. Crucially, Federal law allows an individual state, district, or territory’s National Guard to be controlled by the federal government in the event of an emergency. This provision is intended to be invoked in the event of a severe emergency, such as an insurrection or natural disaster. To use the military for standard policing, however, is illegal.
Why is Trump sending the National Guard to Washington?
In defending the decision to deploy the National Guard, the Trump administration said that Washington is “under siege from violent crime.” However, critics note that Washington’s violent crime rate reached a thirty-year low prior to Trump’s inauguration, and continued to decline before the deployment of the National Guard. The administration also cited several instances of political violence that have occurred recently in the district as reasoning for deploying the National Guard. Some of the incidents include the murder of two Israeli embassy staffers in May, the fatal shooting of a congressional intern in June and an incident where a Trump administration staffer was beaten.
What has the National Guard Actually Been Doing in Washington?
The National Guard has been instructed to serve as a visible crime deterrent and not to make arrests, as that would be illegal. Initially unarmed, guard members are now armed with rifles and handguns. Guard members mostly patrol low-crime areas and work on beautification projects, such as picking up litter in parks. In response to criticism that the National Guard and other federal agencies are not actually patrolling east of the Anacostia River, where most violent crime takes place, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “In fact, nearly half of all of the non-illegal alien arrests have occurred [there].” Nevertheless, the National Guard has reached out to neighborhood commissioners to see if they can help out with beautification projects. As of early September, several declined the offer.
How have Washington residents reacted?
A poll by The Washington Post found that almost 80% of residents oppose the use of troops and federal law enforcement in the district. Courtney Priebe, a resident of Northwest Washington, said to The Post that the deployment is “honestly striking more fear into residents than making them feel safe.” Indeed, The Post poll also found that 65% of participants believe that deploying the National Guard to Washington will not reduce violent crime. Furthermore, a CBS poll found that 58% of Americans disapprove of Trump deploying the National Guard to U.S. cities.
What is next?
As of early October, Trump has authorized the National Guard to deploy in Chicago, Illinois and Memphis, Tennessee. He also planned to send the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, a move that was twice blocked by judges. National Guard patrols in Washington will probably continue until December. At a meeting of the nation’s top generals last month, Trump said that the military should use American cities as “training grounds,” a statement that has caused concern among Democratic leaders and civil liberty groups. “The erosion of basic principles like due process and the expanding use of our military on domestic soil puts the liberties of all Americans at risk,” former president Barack Obama said in a social media post, “and should concern Democrats and Republicans alike.”
Sources
- Original deployment and reasons
- Law
- Administration actions blocked
- Crimes cited as reasons to deploy National Guard to D.C.
- What the Guard is actually doing & impact
- Plans to deploy elsewhere
- Images
