Trump Expands National Guard Presence in D.C. and Across U.S. to Bolster Crime Crackdown and Immigration Enforcement

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Worthy News) – The National Guard presence in the nation’s capital has surged to nearly 2,300 troops as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping law-and-order initiative, while another 1,700 Guard members are being mobilized nationwide to support federal immigration enforcement.

A spokesperson for Joint Task Force-DC told The Epoch Times on August 24 that reinforcements from West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee have brought the force in Washington to approximately 2,270 members. Their mission, the spokesperson said, is “strengthening the mission to secure our monuments, protect federal facilities, support community safety, and address crime spikes in Washington.”

The deployment follows Trump’s August 11 announcement federalizing the city’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and ordering additional forces into D.C. to combat what he called “crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor.” Attorney General Pam Bondi said the initiative has already resulted in more than 1,000 arrests and the seizure of over 100 illegal firearms. “Every day of our mission we are making D.C. safe again,” she posted on X, noting a recent sweep that netted 86 arrests, including a member of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang.

Pentagon officials confirmed Guard units in Washington began carrying service-issued weapons on August 24, stressing that force may only be used as a “last resort” in response to imminent threats.

Crime Drops to Unprecedented Levels

Since Trump’s federal crackdown began, Washington has gone more than one week without a murder–the longest such stretch in years. Both property crime and violent crime are down, according to CNN. CrimeResearch.org said the odds of the murder rate reaching such a low level prior to the Guard’s arrival was less than 1 percent based on 2024 and early 2025 data.

Reinforcements for ICE

At the same time, the Department of Defense is mobilizing 1,700 Guard personnel in 19 states to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Unlike past deployments of Marines and Naval Reservists, Guard members will serve under Title 32 status–under state governors’ control but federally funded. Their duties will include case management, transport, logistics, and direct interaction with detainees, such as collecting fingerprints and DNA.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the shift allows ICE agents to focus on law enforcement while the Guard provides critical support. White House border czar Tom Homan called the Guard a “force multiplier” as ICE struggles to track nearly 700,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records. “ICE is overwhelmed,” he told NewsNation.

Legal and Political Challenges

Trump’s moves have faced strong opposition from D.C. officials and civil liberties groups. District Attorney General Brian Schwalb warned that deploying armed troops into civilian law enforcement “undermines public safety and endangers our democracy.” Schwalb filed suit challenging Trump’s federalization of the MPD, calling Bondi’s appointment of DEA Administrator Terry Cole as “emergency police commissioner” a violation of the Home Rule Act.

Though Bondi later revised her directive–scaling back Cole’s powers to specific oversight functions–court hearings remain ongoing. Trump has defended the takeover by citing violent crime, though federal and city data show overall rates have declined over the past two years.

Still, the president insists the dual missions–National Guard troops on the streets of Washington and in ICE facilities nationwide–are essential to restoring order. “We’ve got to bring our country back,” Trump said.

Reporting contributed by Worthy News staff and wire services.

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