Ahmet Salih Alacaci
17 August 2025•Update: 17 August 2025
WASHINGTON
Three Republican-led US states said Saturday that they would send hundreds of National Guard troops to the nation’s capital as part of a federal effort to crack down on crime and homelessness.
West Virginia announced plans to send 300-400 personnel to Washington, DC, where President Donald Trump deployed 800 members of the district’s National Guard on Aug. 11, while South Carolina said it would deploy 200 and Ohio 150.
The governors of the three states released separate statements saying the move was to support the administration following Trump’s announcement Monday of the initiative to “make D.C. safe again.”
“At the request of the Trump administration, I have directed the @WVNationalGuard to support the President’s initiative to make D.C. safe and beautiful,” West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said in a social media post.
South Carolina’s Governor Henry McMaster noted that the federal government would fund the deployment and that they would be immediately withdrawn “should a hurricane or natural disaster threaten our state.”
In another statement, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said his state’s National Guard members would “carry out presence patrols and serve as added security” in the District of Columbia.
Trump took control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed 800 National Guard members to Washington, DC on Monday when he invoked Section 740 of the 1973 Home Rule Act as the legal pretext for federalizing DC police.
The article allows for a president to declare an emergency in the capital and assume control of the department for up to 30 days.
Trump has claimed that Washington, DC "has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs and homeless people, and we're not going to let it happen anymore." He has vowed to clear homeless encampments from public parks and suggested the strategy could be replicated in other cities.
However, local statistics contradict his claims. DC police reported a 26% decrease in violent crime overall compared to the same point in 2024. There has been a further 7% decrease in property crimes, such as burglary and theft.
Trump alleged that the figures are "phony."
