Why thousands of National Guard soldiers remain on the streets of Washington

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More than 2,000 National Guard troops were deployed to Washington, D.C., in August after US President Donald Trump took US federal control of the city’s police and mobilised the Guard as part of what he described as a crackdown on crime. Since then, their presence has become a daily feature of life in the capital, raising questions about what exactly they are doing and whether the deployment is lawful, the New York Times reported.

Guard members in fatigues have been seen at metro stations, around tourist areas and along the National Mall. The mission, framed by the administration as a public-safety measure, has combined visible patrols with more routine civic tasks. In addition to watching over busy public spaces, troops have also been picking up trash and helping maintain order in and around major landmarks.

Troops from across the country

The deployment is not limited to Washington’s own Guard units. The troops on the ground come from the District of Columbia as well as several other states, including West Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina and Georgia. Rotations from these state Guards have helped maintain the large force that has been present in the city since August.

Their duties include patrolling near monuments such as the Jefferson Memorial, monitoring metro stations used by commuters and tourists, and maintaining a visible uniformed presence in areas where visitors and residents gather. For many people in the capital, encountering soldiers in camouflage near museums, parks and memorials has become a routine, if unusual, part of daily life.

Shooting of two Guard members brings fresh scrutiny

The deployment drew renewed attention after two National Guard soldiers were shot on Wednesday. West Virginia’s governor, Patrick Morrisey, said in a statement that the two were members of West Virginia’s National Guard and were among those sent to Washington as part of the ongoing mission.

Details of the shooting, including the circumstances and motive, have not been fully disclosed. But the incident has highlighted the risks that Guard members face while on duty in the capital and has added urgency to questions about how long the deployment should continue and what its goals now are.

A legal challenge in federal court

Even before the shooting, the deployment had come under legal challenge. Last week, a federal judge in Washington temporarily blocked the administration from maintaining the troops in the city. Judge Jia M. Cobb of the Federal District Court found that the city was likely to succeed in arguing that the deployment was illegal.

In her ruling, the judge did not order the immediate removal of the troops. Instead, she paused the effect of her decision for three weeks. That timeline gives the administration an opportunity to withdraw the Guard from Washington or to appeal the ruling and argue that the deployment is consistent with federal law.

What happens next

For now, National Guard members continue to patrol metro stations, tourist areas and the National Mall, even as their future role in Washington is being contested in court. The administration has defended the deployment as part of a broader effort to address crime in the capital. City officials and legal challengers, however, argue that the federal government has overstepped its authority by keeping troops on the streets.

The next steps will depend on how the administration responds to Judge Cobb’s ruling and whether an appeals court allows the deployment to continue while the legal fight plays out. Until then, residents and visitors in Washington will keep seeing Guard members in uniform across the city, as a highly visible sign of a federal crackdown whose legality is now under review.