Washington (AP) As part of President Donald Trump’s rising display of force, which he claims is intended to increase immigration enforcement and crack down on crime in the nation’s capital, three additional Republican governors approved the deployment of National Guard troops to Washington on Monday. With the announcements from Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana, there are now six states and over 1,100 state troops assigned to the president’s endeavor.
State governors said they were answering calls to join the operation from the Trump administration. The administration’s appeal for more military assistance was not immediately apparent. Trump’s 10-day-old move to seize control of D.C. law enforcement has already involved the deployment of about 800 troops from the Washington, D.C., guard, who have played a limited designated role.
The depictions of the operation, according to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, need to be more truthful and recognize that they were about immigration enforcement as well as crime reduction, a key component of the second Trump administration that has been seen nationwide in recent months. Bowser criticized Trump’s description of the city during a press conference and expressed doubt about the administration’s motives.
Bowser said of the government and states sending National Guard personnel into the capital’s streets, “I think it makes the point that this is not about D.C. crime.” Violent crime should be the main focus. No one is opposed to concentrating on reducing violence at any level. Therefore, the administration should make it clear that this is about immigration enforcement.
A crime emergency was declared in the District of Columbia and the Washington Police Department was taken over by Trump’s executive order that started the federal operation. Contrary to municipal regulations that forbid such cooperation, the administration has directed local police to work with federal officials on immigration enforcement.
Since the operation started, 160 undocumented individuals in the district have been taken into custody by federal authorities, including those White House officials claim are known gang members with a history of felonies.
Residents have praised and protested the increase in federal agents in the capital, which has caused tensions in the community and caused friction with the local authorities.
Congress has granted the nation’s capital the authority to govern itself, but the federal statutes granting that autonomy provide the president and Congress broad discretion to step in when necessary. Due to this long-standing conflict, the White House and local officials are currently at odds over the deployment of troops and the influx of federal officers into the area.
According to a person familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity, Washington has been told that the National Guard is planning to be armed, but it has not been given any information about when or where armed Guard members could be stationed in the District. This could potentially increase street tensions.
It would go against the Army’s and Pentagon’s claims that the troops are unarmed. In a statement last week, the Army stated that while weapons are available if needed, they will stay in the armory. Kingsley Wilson, the Pentagon’s press secretary, also stated last week that troops would not be armed.
The District of Columbia National Guard stated that troops may be armed in accordance with their duty and training when asked if Guard personnel in Washington would be armed in the days ahead. The D.C. Guard spokesperson, Maj. Melissa Heintz, did not elaborate.
With the additional deployments from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee—all of which are led by Republican governors—the increased guard presence increased even more on Monday. According to a Tennessee governor’s spokesperson, Bill Lee approved a request from the Trump administration for the state’s National Guard personnel to help with traffic management, monument security, community safety patrols, and federal facility protection. According to the governor’s office, the troops are prepared to help for however long is required.
Along with the statements made on Monday, West Virginia announced that it would be sending 300 to 400 troops, South Carolina promised to send 200, and Ohio said it would send 150 in the next few days. These deployments followed Trump’s initial directive for 800 National Guard members to be sent as part of the federal intervention.
In the District of Columbia, members of the National Guard have been helping law police with duties including crowd management and patrolling iconic locations like Union Station and the National Mall. Though attention-grabbing visuals have long been a cornerstone of Trump’s strategy, their role has been limited thus far, and it is still unclear why more troops would be required.
The administration was sued on Friday by the city’s attorney general for designating the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration as the emergency police commissioner of the city. After reversing the decision, the administration issued a follow-up directive directing local law enforcement to fully and completely comply with federal immigration authorities.
After being overrun by thugs and murderers, D.C. is now once again under federal control, where it belongs. One day after announcing his decree, Trump posted on his social media accounts. The White House has the final say. The military and our Great Police will free this city, remove the trash, and restore its safety, cleanliness, livability, and beauty!
Over the past week, federal agents from the Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the DEA, and other agencies have been patrolling busy places surrounding the city. According to footage released by the administration, ICE officers, who are part of the Department of Homeland Security, have broken up pro-immigrant signs, arrested people in areas throughout the city, and dispersed some public gatherings.
Since Trump’s executive order, the White House has highlighted a number of arrests conducted throughout the city by federal authorities and local police. In the week since the operation began, federal officials have made 380 arrests and, in certain situations, charged those who have been detained. On social media, the White House has praised the increase in agents and shared images of those who have been taken into custody by federal and local law enforcement.
Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on social media that “our law enforcement partners are making Washington, DC safer every night.” 21 illicit guns were seized and 137 people were arrested just this past weekend. We have made about 400 arrests so far, and we are not stopping down.
The administration has come under fire throughout the crackdown for the actions of certain federal agents who, in a number of high-profile cases, have detained individuals while donning masks that conceal their identities and refused to identify themselves to members of the public or media when questioned. Bowser stated on Monday that she had requested that Pamela Smith, the chief of police in D.C., ask the administration for clarification on the deployment of masked officers.
“The identification of agents is very important to us,” Bowser stated. A law enforcement official has no justification for wearing a mask.
Dozens of demonstrators gathered Monday to protest the activities of the Trump administration in Washington’s U Street neighborhood, where many federal agents had patrolled and made arrests over the weekend.
More on Donald Trump
-
Trump vows to change how states run elections, but Constitution doesn t give him that power
-
U.S. pediatrician group disagrees with Trump administration s COVID shot policy for kids
-
Country music icon brings boy battling cancer onstage to make his dream come true
-
US archbishop s meeting with Putin denounced as betrayal of Christian witness
