By Tom Ozimek and Sam dorman
Governors from Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana are sending National Guard troops to Washington to assist President Donald Trump’s effort to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital, joining other Republican-led states that have pledged military resources.
In a statement posted on social media on Aug. 18, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced that he’s approved the deployment of some 200 National Guard soldiers “to support President Trump’s effort to return law and order to our nation’s capital.”
“Crime is out of control there, and it’s clear something must be done to combat it,” Reeves wrote. “Americans deserve a safe capital city that we can all be proud of. I know the brave men and women of our National Guard will do an excellent job enhancing public safety and supporting law enforcement.”
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry similarly posted to social media that he was deploying approximately 135 Louisiana National Guard soldiers, stating that “we cannot allow our cities to be overcome by violence and lawlessness.” A spokesperson for Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said the governor had approved the administration’s request for troops and that they were “ready to assist as long as needed.”
The commitments follow others from West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio to send troops after Trump took control of the Metropolitan Police Department on Aug. 11 and ordered 800 D.C. National Guard members to be activated. He said the move was necessary to “rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor, and worse.”
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey was the first to announce a deployment, saying his state would send 300 to 400 Guard members along with equipment and specialized training. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster later said his state would contribute 200 troops, while Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine pledged to send about 150 military police.
The additional forces are joining local officers and some 500 federal agents already sent into the city. National Guard troops and vehicles have begun appearing near federal buildings and other sites in recent days.
Amid the stepped-up law enforcement presence, the Trump administration has highlighted early results of the crackdown. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X on Monday that nearly 400 people have been arrested and dozens of firearms seized since the operation began earlier this month. FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that charges have included drug offenses, assaults, and property destruction.
The Trump administration has said the intervention is necessary to address violent crime in Washington, pointing to carjackings, thefts, and homicides that the White House says have left the city unsafe. Critics, including D.C. officials, dispute that characterization, noting crime has declined in recent months.
“President Trump’s plan to federalize Washington, DC’s local police department and unleash the National Guard on the city’s youth and homeless population has no basis in law and will put the safety of the people of our Nation’s capital in danger,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a statement on Aug. 11. “The violent crime rate in Washington, DC, is at a 30-year low.”
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has sued to block the federal takeover of the city’s police force, calling the move “an affront to the dignity and autonomy” of the city’s residents and a violation of the district’s limited self-governance under the Home Rule Act.
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to scale back parts of its intervention, though the president retains authority to extend control of the police department for up to 30 days before needing congressional approval.
Trump has already indicated he intends to ask Congress to extend federal control of D.C. police, suggesting he might declare a national emergency that could enable him to sidestep the D.C. Home Rule Act’s limitations if Congress fails to act.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has praised the president’s takeover, writing on X on Aug. 11, “House Republicans support this effort to clean up Washington, end the crime wave, and restore the beauty of the greatest capital in the world.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
