In a move that’s set political sparks flying and reignited debate over federal authority, six Republican-led states have deployed hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., following President Donald Trump’s call for a sweeping crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital. The unprecedented influx of out-of-state soldiers comes amid fierce disagreement over the true state of public safety in D.C. and the president’s right to intervene.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey summed up the readiness of her state to join the operation, telling 1819 News on August 19, 2025, "We have not received an official request. However, Governor Ivey stands ready to lend our support, if needed. Governor Ivey remains supportive of President Trump's mission to Make America Safe Again, beginning with our Nation's Capital. The Ivey Administration remains in contact with the White House on their efforts to secure Washington, D.C."
Already, Louisiana, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Tennessee have answered Trump’s call, sending more than 1,100 National Guard troops to D.C. to reinforce law enforcement. The deployment follows Trump’s August 11 order, which activated 800 National Guard members in D.C. and temporarily placed the city’s police department under federal control.
According to the Jakarta Post, Republican governors from Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee agreed to send troops just days after their counterparts in West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio did the same. The president’s rationale? A need to “restore law and order” in what he describes as a city “full of violence and homelessness.” Trump has even threatened similar operations in other Democratic-controlled cities, though legal barriers there are steeper.
But here’s where things get complicated. Federal and city statistics indicate that violent crime in D.C. has actually dropped sharply since a spike in 2023, even though the city’s homicide rate remains higher than most other major U.S. cities. The Justice Department has reportedly opened an investigation into whether D.C. officials have manipulated crime statistics to make the city appear safer—a claim the Washington Post says is based on unnamed sources.
President Trump, for his part, hasn’t minced words. On August 18, he posted on Truth Social, "D.C. gave Fake Crime numbers in order to create a false illusion of safety. This is a very bad and dangerous thing to do, and they are under serious investigation for so doing! Until 4 days ago, Washington, D.C., was the most unsafe 'city' in the United States, and perhaps the World. Now, in just a short period of time, it is perhaps the safest, and getting better every single hour! People are flocking to D.C. again, and soon, the beautification will begin!"
Yet, local officials—especially D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser—have pushed back hard. In a statement last week, Bowser insisted, "Let us be clear about what the law requires during a Presidential declared emergency: it requires the mayor of Washington, DC to provide the services of the Metropolitan Police Department for federal purposes at the request of the President. We have followed the law. In reference to the U.S. Attorney General's order, there is no statute that conveys the District's personnel authority to a federal official." She also told reporters, "The number of troops in the district does not support a thousand people from other states coming to Washington."
The deployment has not been without controversy in the states themselves. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced on X, "I've approved the deployment of approximately 200 Mississippi National Guard Soldiers to Washington, D.C., 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. 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 Governor Jeff Landry echoed the sentiment, writing, "I have approved the deployment of approximately 135 @LANationalGuard soldiers to Washington DC to assist in President @realDonaldTrump's mission of restoring safety and peace in our nation's capital. We are a nation of law and order. Our capital is a reflection of our nation's respect, beauty, and standards. We cannot allow our cities to be overcome by violence and lawlessness. I am proud to support this mission to return safety and sanity to Washington DC and cities all across our country, including right here in Louisiana." Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has also deployed 160 National Guard troops to D.C., according to local media reports.
But as Newsweek points out, the crime situation is far from black and white. FBI data released this month shows that more than 14 million criminal offenses occurred nationwide in 2024, but overall crime has decreased compared to previous years. In 2024, Washington, D.C., reported 29,348 total crimes, including 3,469 violent crimes and 187 homicides. However, several cities in the states sending troops—such as Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee, New Orleans and Shreveport in Louisiana, Cleveland and Columbus in Ohio—have crime rates that both exceed and trail those in D.C.
Take Memphis, for instance: it reported 15,338 violent crimes in 2024, including 249 cases of murder and non-negligent manslaughter, along with 42,305 property crimes. Nashville, meanwhile, had 7,857 violent crimes—more than D.C.—but fewer murders. In Louisiana, New Orleans saw a 25 percent drop in crime from 2023 to 2024, but still logged 2,543 crimes against people, including 124 murders. Shreveport, another Louisiana city, reported 2,151 violent crimes and 47 murders. In Mississippi, Jackson police reported 111 homicides in 2024, while Southaven and Tupelo reported dozens of violent crimes and over a thousand property crimes each. Even in West Virginia, Huntington reported 359 violent crimes last year, and Charleston reported 251, including six murders.
Against this backdrop, Trump’s executive order—titled "Making The District of Columbia Safe And Beautiful"—has become a flashpoint. Critics argue the president is fabricating a state of emergency to seize greater control of Washington and target Democratic-controlled cities. Supporters, meanwhile, claim the move is necessary to restore safety and order in the capital.
The National Guard, typically called upon for natural disasters and emergencies, is now at the center of a political tug-of-war. While the D.C. Guard reports to the president, state governors usually control their own units. The current deployment, then, is both a show of solidarity with the Trump administration and a test of the limits of federal power.
Legal challenges have already begun. Washington officials have sued to block aspects of the federal takeover, even as out-of-state troops arrive in the capital. And with Trump threatening similar interventions in other cities, the debate over who controls public safety—and how best to achieve it—shows no sign of cooling down.
As the dust settles in the nation’s capital, all eyes are on what happens next: will this surge of troops bring the peace and security promised, or will it deepen divisions over the future of American cities?
