Governors from six Republican-led states are sending hundreds of troops to Washington, DC, bolstering United States President Donald Trump’s aggressive move to flood the city with soldiers and federal agents in what he says is an effort to fight violent crime.
The move comes as the Trump administration this week ordered federal prosecutors in Washington, DC, to be more aggressive in pursuing criminal cases against people arrested as part of a crackdown in the nation’s capital, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
The Republican governors of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee said on Monday they were deploying troops to Washington, days after the Republican governors of West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio also did so at the Trump administration’s request.
On August 11, Trump announced a temporary federal takeover of the DC police force, saying he was sending 800 federal DC National Guard members to staunch what he called a crime emergency – though crime in the nation’s capital has been dropping.
The federal government also dispatched agents from numerous agencies, including the FBI, to patrol the city’s streets. Following a legal challenge filed by the city’s attorney general, the administration negotiated a deal with Mayor Muriel Bowser to keep Police Chief Pamela Smith in charge of the department’s operations.
On Monday, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said he had approved the deployment of about 135 Guard soldiers to Washington, while Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said he had ordered 200 soldiers to the capital. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has also deployed 160 Guard troops to the city, according to local media reports.
“We cannot allow our cities to be overcome by violence and lawlessness,” Governor Landry said in a post on X. “I am proud to support this mission to return safety and sanity to Washington, DC and cities all across our country, including right here in Louisiana.”
Days earlier, West Virginia promised 300-400 troops; South Carolina, 200; and Ohio, 150.
In total, the six Republican states have announced deployments of more than 1,100 Guard troops to Washington.
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