West Virginia National Guard troops are now being sent to Washington, DC, in an escalation of President Donald Trump’s efforts to federally take over law enforcement in the city.
“At the request of the Trump administration, I have directed the @WVNationalGuard to support the President’s initiative to make D.C. safe and beautiful. We are deploying 300-400 skilled personnel to the nation’s capital, reflecting our commitment to a strong and secure America,” West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, said in an X post on Saturday.
The efforts will be federally funded, and the state’s National Guard will provide “mission-essential” equipment and training, according to a statement from the governor’s office.
A White House official said Saturday that the troops are a part of “Trump’s ongoing effort to make DC safe and beautiful” and the “National Guard’s role has not changed.” Its role in DC this week has, so far, not been to make arrests.
“The National Guard will protect federal assets, create a safe environment for law enforcement officials to carry out their duties when required, and provide a visible presence to deter crime,” the official said.
While the National Guard isn’t making arrests at this time, a White House official said Saturday they now may be armed. CNN reported earlier in the week the guardsmen would likely have weapons nearby — in their trucks, for example — if they absolutely need to access them for self-defense purposes. CNN has reached out to the DC National Guard for comment.
The number of federal agents patrolling the streets of DC following Trump’s declaration of a crime emergency has also ramped up, according to an internal Secret Service memo obtained by CNN.
Secret Service director Sean Curran said in a message to personnel Saturday, “More than 700 federal law enforcement personnel” from multiple agencies “are supporting the effort every day. That number is expected to increase as more National Guard troops join the safe streets initiative.”
At the White House on Monday, Trump said he had “surged 500 federal agents into the district, including from the FBI, ATF, DEA, Park Police, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland Security.”
On Friday, a total of 25 homeless encampments were removed, according to the White House official. Sweeps began Wednesday after an anxious few days where homeless residents and their allies waited to see who would be targeted, and which federal agencies would be involved.
White House officials said they’ll send homeless people to shelters — or to jails if they refuse to leave encampments. But advocates claimed this would be unlawful, counterproductive and costly by disrupting existing efforts to move homeless people into shelters or permanent housing.
CNN has reached out to the DC mayor’s office for comment.
DC Councilmember Robert White said he was “startled” about West Virginia sending troops, saying on “CNN Newsroom” on Saturday, “I’m startled like most district residents and many Americans. President Trump is breaching democratic norms” and pointed out that Trump has discussed making similar moves in other cities.
The troops’ deployment is an escalation of Trump’s efforts to take federal control of the DC police department as he rails against crime in the capital. The president previously announced that he was deploying over 800 DC National Guard troops to the city and surging federal agents into the streets, but Saturday’s move marks the first time National Guard troops outside of the city have been directed to support the Trump administration.
“We stand ready to support our partners in the National Capital Region and contribute to the collective effort of making our nation’s capital a clean and safe environment. The National Guard’s unique capabilities and preparedness make it an invaluable partner in this important undertaking,” West Virginia Adjutant General Jim Seward, who will command the deployment of the state’s troops, said in a statement.
The move comes amid scrutiny over the takeover in the nation’s capital. Washington, DC, sued the Trump administration on Friday to block Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Thursday directive for the city to accept an “emergency police commissioner,” acting Drug Enforcement Administration chief Terry Cole, and give him full control of the department during the federal takeover.
Following a hearing in federal court, Bondi issued a new order Friday giving control of the Metropolitan Police Department back to its chief, Pamela Smith, in response to a judge’s directive.
Federal agents have been patrolling the city with local police and making arrests following Trump’s order earlier this week declaring a crime emergency and federalizing DC’s police. The order cited a public safety emergency after an assault on a former government worker.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, has repeatedly said she wants to make sure the federal law enforcement surge is useful to the city, though she struck a more adversarial tone during an event this week, calling Trump’s police department takeover an “authoritarian push.”
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Alayna Treene, Josh Campbell and Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.
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