The American National Guard, mobilized in Washington, began to carry weapons on Sunday in the capital, the army announced. More than 2,200 national guards were deployed to fight crime, at the request of American president Donald Trump
“From the end of the evening of August 24, 2025, the soldiers of the Washington DC (JTF-DC) special detachment began to carry their service weapon,” the American army component said in a statement. These reservists are only allowed to make the use of force “as a last resort and only in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury”, it is specified in the document.
Controversy around crime figures
US President Donald Trump said Washington was “invaded by gangs” and that these deployments are necessary to “clean” it. The National Guard had already been mobilized in June in Los Angeles, at the time of important demonstrations against the migration policy of the federal government.
The capital’s police statistics, however, shows a decline in violent crime between 2023 and 2024, even if this decline occurred after a strong post-Cavid increase.
Donald Trump accused Mayor Muriel Bowser of having communicated “false” figures, threatening to take total control of the city by the federal power.
A national emergency?
Most of the national guard staff mobilized in the capital were sent by the Republican States of Virginia-Western, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee.
The 79 -year -old conservative head of state, who applies his draconian fighting program against delinquency and immigration to a forced work, threatened one more city on Sunday, Baltimore, capital of the Maryland State led by a democrat, to dispatch “troops” of this army reserve body. Donald Trump also threatens to send federal police in Chicago (North), then in New York (northeast), third and first American mega-cities.
The national guards depend on each US state and can only be deployed in the case of a national emergency, as a natural disaster, at the request of the federal state and after the green light from the local governor. They are not supposed to intervene against crime, riots, demonstrations.
In addition to these soldiers, federal agents of the FBI, the ICE ICE or Antidrogue DEA immigration police are also deployed in Washington.