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.
CNN has reached out to the DC mayor’s office for comment.
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.”
CNN’s Alayna Treene contributed to this report.
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