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Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025
Outside the box.
White House Says National Guard Deployments in 19 States Unrelated to Trump’s Crime Crackdown
Up to 1,700 troops to assist Homeland Security with immigration enforcement while separate Guard operations continue in Washington, D.C.
The White House stated that National Guard deployments in 19 states are not connected to President Donald Trump’s campaign against violent crime in Washington, D.C. Officials said the mobilizations were planned earlier to support the Department of Homeland Security in processing immigration cases.
Up to 1,700 National Guard troops are scheduled to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with administrative duties including data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing and photographing detainees.
The deployments were authorised on July 25 by the Department of Defense under Title 32 Section 502F authority, which allows Guard members to provide support without conflicting with the Posse Comitatus Act’s restrictions on domestic law enforcement.
In Washington, D.C., Trump activated National Guard forces this month to reinforce his federal crackdown on violent crime.
Around 2,279 soldiers and airmen from D.C. and six states are currently deployed in the capital.
Guard members have been posted to checkpoints, Metro stations, monuments and traffic stops across all eight wards, with authorisation to carry weapons if necessary.
Since the operation began, officials report at least 465 arrests.
Trump has indicated that Chicago and New York may be next for expanded federal action, but administration officials emphasised that these plans are distinct from the immigration-related National Guard deployments.
The Pentagon described the 19-state mobilization as a support measure for Homeland Security, while the White House underlined that the initiative predates Trump’s statements about broadening crime enforcement beyond the capital.
Up to 1,700 National Guard troops are scheduled to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with administrative duties including data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing and photographing detainees.
The deployments were authorised on July 25 by the Department of Defense under Title 32 Section 502F authority, which allows Guard members to provide support without conflicting with the Posse Comitatus Act’s restrictions on domestic law enforcement.
In Washington, D.C., Trump activated National Guard forces this month to reinforce his federal crackdown on violent crime.
Around 2,279 soldiers and airmen from D.C. and six states are currently deployed in the capital.
Guard members have been posted to checkpoints, Metro stations, monuments and traffic stops across all eight wards, with authorisation to carry weapons if necessary.
Since the operation began, officials report at least 465 arrests.
Trump has indicated that Chicago and New York may be next for expanded federal action, but administration officials emphasised that these plans are distinct from the immigration-related National Guard deployments.
The Pentagon described the 19-state mobilization as a support measure for Homeland Security, while the White House underlined that the initiative predates Trump’s statements about broadening crime enforcement beyond the capital.
