West Virginia is sending hundreds of National Guard members to Washington
By Matt Brown and Mike Pesoli Associated Press WASHINGTON Hundreds of West Virginia National Guard members will deploy across the nation s capital as part of the Trump administration s effort to overhaul policing in Washington through a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness The move broadcasted Saturday comes as protesters pushed back on federal law enforcement and National Guard troops fanning out in the heavily Democratic city following President Donald Trump s executive order federalizing local police forces and activating about District of Columbia National Guard members Related Articles Covered California soundness insurance will cost more in Here s what s behind the double-digit increase A man running from an immigration raid died after entering a California freeway executives say Critics say Trump s push for fairness in college admissions is leaving out legacy preferences What is redistricting Your questions about maps California s feud with Texas and more answered The Latest Trump says no deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war was made with Putin after Alaska talks By adding outside troops to join the existing Guard deployment and federal law enforcement officers Trump is exercising even tighter control over the city It s a power play that the president has justified as an crisis response to crime and homelessness even though city authorities have noted that violent crime is lower than it was during Trump s first term in office A protest against Trump s intervention drew scores to Dupont Circle on Saturday before a march to the White House about miles away Demonstrators assembled behind a banner that announced No fascist takeover of D C and a few in the crowd held signs saying No military occupation Trump was at his Virginia golf club after Friday s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska Protest pushes back on federal officers in Washington Morgan Taylor one of the organizers who coordinated Saturday s protest revealed they were hoping to spark enough backlash to Trump s actions that the administration would be forced to pull back on its crime and immigration agenda It s hot but I m glad to be here It s good to see all these people out here she disclosed I can t believe that this is happening in this country at this time Fueling the protests were concerns about Trump overreach and that he had used crime as a pretext to impose his will on Washington John Finnigan was taking a bike ride when he ran into the protest in downtown Washington The real estate construction manager who has lived in the capital for years revealed Trump s moves were ridiculous because crime is down Hopefully certain of the mayors and particular of the residents will get out in front of it and try and make it harder for it to happen in other cities Finnigan explained Jamie Dickstein a -year-old tutor revealed she was very uncomfortable and worried for the safety or her students given the unmarked officers of all types now roaming Washington and detaining people Dickstein declared she turned out to the protest with friends and relatives to prevent a continuous domino effect going forward with other cities West Virginia National Guard is coming to Washington Gov Patrick Morrisey R-W Va declared Saturday that he was sending a contingent of to Guard troops to Washington West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation s capital Morrisey declared The West Virginia activation suggests the administration sees the need for additional manpower after the president personally played down the need for Washington to hire more police officers Maj Gen James Seward West Virginia s adjutant general declared in a comment that members of the state s National Guard stand ready to backing our partners in the National Capital Region and that the troops unique capabilities and preparedness make it an invaluable partner in this crucial undertaking Federal law enforcement in Washington draws mixed reactions Federal agents have appeared in selected of the city s majority of highly trafficked neighborhoods garnering a mix of praise pushback and alarm from local residents and leaders across the country City leaders who are obliged to cooperate with Trump s order under the federal laws that direct the district s local governance have sought to work with the administration though they have bristled at the scope of the president s takeover On Friday the administration reversed module on an order that aimed to place the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration as an urgency police commissioner after the district s top lawyer sued to contest After a court hearing Trump s attorney general Pam Bondi issued a memo that directed the Metropolitan Police Department to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law City bureaucrats say they are evaluating how to best comply In his order Monday Trump declared an urgency due to the city ruling body s failure to maintain population order He mentioned that impeded the federal executive s ability to operate efficiently to address the nation s broader interests without fear of our workers being subjected to rampant violence In a letter to city residents Mayor Muriel Bowser a Democrat wrote that our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now She added that if Washington residents stick together we will show the entire nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy even when we don t have full access to it Associated Press writer Josh Boak contributed to this summary
