National Guard personnel from 10 states continue to carry out patrols in D.C., and it appears troops will remain a familiar sight in the District well into the new year.
More than 2,500 National Guard members are deployed in D.C., with about two-thirds of them coming from states led by Republican governors.
Another third are made up of the D.C. National Guard.
Their numbers have increased in the wake of last month’s shooting of two National Guard members from West Virginia.
One of them, Sarah Beckstrom, died. The other, Andrew Wolfe, was seriously injured but is recovering.
In the wake of the attack, about 500 additional National Guard members have been sent to D.C.
National Guard members were first deployed in the District in August, under President Donald Trump’s crime surge.
GOP governors have been supportive of the effort. The National Guard personnel now in D.C. come from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia.
Troops to continue patrols
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has argued in court that the deployment violates the law by usurping local leaders’ power to control local law enforcement.
But earlier this month, a federal appeals court ruled the deployment can continue, staying a lower-court ruling that stated the troops’ presence should end.
The ruling means visitors to the nation’s capital, as well as local residents, will see guard members throughout the District in 2026. No date has been set for an end to their deployment.
Court documents have suggested the guard personnel could remain in D.C. through the summer, when the nation celebrates its 250th birthday in July.
That is considerably longer than many expected when the president announced the deployment on Aug. 11.
Deployment draws congressional scrutiny
Republicans in Congress have strongly supported the president’s decision to deploy troops in D.C., as well as several other cities, where lawmakers believe they can help lower crime.
But many Democrats argue the president has overstepped his power and is wrongly using the National Guard for political reasons.
During a recent U.S. Senate hearing, Sen. Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat, questioned why some D.C. police officers — who are also Guard members — are being taken away from their usual law enforcement duties.
“Why would you take trained police officers off the street in Washington, D.C., call them up for the guard, and say you can now help beautify the city instead of being on the street fighting crime?” he said. “Does that make any sense?”
A Pentagon official testified during the hearing that he was not familiar with the specific example Peters cited, but defended the administration’s deployment.
“There are presence patrols that are taking place constantly to make sure that people feel safe and secure,” said Mark Ditlevson, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and hemispheric affairs.
Small groups of guard personnel continue to be seen in high-profile areas, such as along the National Mall and Union Station. That is likely to continue well into 2026, since the president has given no indication he wants them to leave any time soon.
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