AP :
President Donald Trump is bringing in 800 National Guard members to help law enforcement fight crime in Washington, but just 100 to 200 of the troops will be on the city’s streets at any given time, the Army said.
Trump’s directive Monday for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to activate the National Guard is just the latest example of him sending the Guard into cities to support immigration enforcement or fight crime over the objection of local and state officials.
According to the Army, Guard troops will be deployed under Title 32, or “federal-state status” authority. That means the troops can conduct law enforcement activities on the streets of the nation’s capital – though, at the moment, that doesn’t appear to be the plan.
“Their duties will include an array of tasks from administrative, logistics and physical presence in support of law enforcement,” according to a statement from the Army, to which the District of Columbia National Guard directed all questions.
About 500 federal law enforcement officers are being assigned to patrols in Washington, including from the FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and the Marshals Service.
Hegseth told reporters that Guard members will be “flowing into the streets of Washington in the coming week.” He said the Pentagon also was prepared to bring in other “specialized” Guard units, though he didn’t offer any further details.
