Nearly 400 arrests have been made since Trump federalized DC’s police and called up National Guard troops.
Mississippi will send several hundred National Guard troops to Washington to assist President Donald Trump’s effort to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital, joining several other Republican-led states that have pledged military resources.
In a statement posted on social media on Aug. 18, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced that he’s approved the deployment of some 200 National Guard soldiers “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,” Reeves wrote. “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.”
The deployment follows commitments from West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio to send troops after Trump took federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department on Aug. 11 and ordered 800 D.C. National Guard members to be activated. He said the move was necessary to “rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor, and worse.”
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey was the first to announce a deployment, saying his state would send 300 to 400 Guard members along with equipment and specialized training. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster later said his state would contribute 200 troops, while Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine pledged to send about 150 military police.
The additional forces are joining local officers and some 500 federal agents already sent into the city. National Guard troops and vehicles have begun appearing near federal buildings and other sites in recent days.
Amid the stepped-up law enforcement presence, the Trump administration has highlighted early results of the crackdown. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X on Monday that nearly 400 people have been arrested and dozens of firearms seized since the operation began earlier this month. FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that charges have included drug offenses, assaults, and property destruction.
The Trump administration has said the intervention is necessary to address violent crime in Washington, pointing to carjackings, thefts, and homicides that the White House says have left the city unsafe. Critics, including D.C. officials, dispute that characterization, noting crime has declined in recent months.
By Tom Ozimek
