A year into Trump’s unprecedented deployment, National Guard is entrenched in DC
The deployment, dubbed “Make DC Safe and Beautiful,” quickly has expanded to include some 4,000 troops from states and territories across the country.
A year after President Donald Trump's unprecedented deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., the force remains entrenched in the nation's capital, according to ABC News. The deployment, dubbed "Make DC Safe and Beautiful," initially cost $1.4 billion and involved around 800 troops. It was launched following an assault and attempted carjacking of Edward Coristine, a young programmer, which President Trump claimed was evidence of the city's spiraling disorder.
However, crime rates in Washington had already been on a downward trend for 30 years, according to the Department of Justice. The deployment expanded to include 4,000 troops, but is now projected to decline to between 2,500 and 3,000 troops by the end of Trump's term. Despite the reduced force, the deployment is expected to continue throughout Trump's presidency.
This unprecedented use of military personnel on U.S. soil represents a significant shift from how presidents have historically utilized domestic military forces. While the mission's effectiveness is unclear, the deployment has seen some 800 medical emergencies, including Narcan administrations, and the provisioning of assistance in various community matters.
However, there is criticism that the Guard's involvement in these tasks could have been achieved more effectively by civil workers or police officers.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News (US)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
