The Pentagon has confirmed that all 800 Army and Air National Guard troops ordered to the nation’s capital by President Donald Trump are now fully mobilized, joining federal and local law enforcement in what the administration is calling a sweeping crackdown on crime in the city.

Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson announced the deployment, stating that the troops — part of Joint Task Force DC — will assist the Metropolitan Police Department and federal agencies with monument security, community safety patrols, protection of federal facilities, traffic control, and other public safety duties.

“They will remain until law and order has been restored in the District, as determined by the president,” Wilson told reporters, describing the mission as essential to “standing as the gatekeepers of our great nation’s capital.”

The Guard members, mobilized under Title 32 status, are unarmed for now but will have access to weapons stored in the armory if needed. While they do not have arrest powers, they may temporarily detain individuals to prevent imminent harm or to remove them from restricted areas, before handing them over to law enforcement.

The deployment follows a similar operation in Los Angeles last year, when Trump ordered federal forces to quell unrest sparked by immigration enforcement raids — marking the first such presidential action against a state governor’s wishes since 1965.

White House officials have defended the move as a necessary response to violent incidents in Washington, including the murders of two embassy staffers in May, the fatal shooting of a congressional intern near the White House in June, and the mob beating of a federal employee earlier this month. An executive order cited a 2024 murder rate of 27.54 per 100,000 residents and a vehicle theft rate of 842.4 per 100,000.

Critics, however, note that city crime data shows significant drops in violent offenses from 2023 to 2024, challenging the administration’s portrayal of D.C. as “overrun by crime.”

Wilson emphasized that beyond their operational duties, the Guard’s visible presence is intended to serve as a deterrent. “It makes people feel safe, and it lets everyone know that D.C. is going to be a city we can be proud of,” she said. “We are standing alongside our federal partners to execute on the president’s directive.”

The National Guard will rotate about 200 service members at a time onto city streets as part of the “Safe and Beautiful Task Force,” with no set end date for the mission. (ILKHA)