{"id":4496,"date":"2026-07-07T20:05:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T20:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4496"},"modified":"2026-07-07T20:05:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T20:05:59","slug":"democratic-led-states-face-backlash-over-national-guard-deployments-in-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4496","title":{"rendered":"Democratic-led states face backlash over National Guard deployments in Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 A National Guard deployment to Washington, D.C. has ballooned during the celebrations of the country\u2019s 250th anniversary of independence, bolstered in part by contingents from Democratic-led states.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4494\">\u2018I knew in that moment I wasn\u2019t safe\u2019: 5 takeaways from CNN interview with woman accusing Platner of sexual assault<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>That participation has sparked anger among some in the nation\u2019s capital who argue the troops from Democratic-led states are not just there to assist in securing the festivities but are being drawn into the Trump administration\u2019s ongoing, open-ended Guard deployment to the city.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A contingent from Minnesota sent for the 250th is set to depart early. On Tuesday, a coalition of think tanks, civic, labor and civil rights groups asked Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to withdraw the state\u2019s National Guard forces, saying they have been misused.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>\u201cPrevious presidents have requested assistance from out-of-state Guard forces during major events in D.C., and such requests would normally give little cause for concern,\u201d the groups said in a letter. \u201dBut there is nothing normal about the way President (Donald) Trump has used National Guard forces in the nation\u2019s capital.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><span>Get Starting Point<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><label>Enter Email<\/label><\/p>\n<div><button>Sign Up<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<h2>The National Guard has been deployed since last summer<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>The presence of National Guard members in Washington, D.C., has been contentious since August 2025 when Trump issued an emergency order because of what he said was out-of-control crime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The local National Guard was activated and deployed to the streets, along with hundreds of federal law enforcement officers and agents. Trump also took control, briefly, of the local police department. States, all led by Republican governors, sent members of their Guard forces, as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Over the months, Guard members have responded to medical emergencies, assisted with arrests, helped local police enforce the city\u2019s juvenile curfew and carried out beautification projects. The D.C. Guard helped with snow removal during a major storm in January.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While the deployment stayed consistently in the 2,300 to 2,600 range, in recent weeks the numbers increased to around 5,000 as part of the security plan for the Great American State Fair, the fireworks display on July 4 and other crowd-intensive events.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Democratic-led states were part of that surge and were originally expected to remain for weeks. Michigan sent roughly 160 troops. Minnesota sent just over 100. Both of those states have joined other Democratic-led states in supporting a lawsuit challenging the ongoing deployment to the city.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<h2>Activists say Guard members seen far from 250th events <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Keya Chatterjee, executive director of Free DC, a group dedicated to achieving statehood for the District of Columbia and one of the organizations signing Tuesday\u2019s letter, said that her organization has seen Michigan Guard members near metro stops and in neighborhoods \u201cfar from the Mall\u201d despite a threat from Whitmer to pull them out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Free DC has organized a network of people to monitor and chronicle overall Guard activities in the city. It protested at an event last week hosted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meant to thank the Guard troops for their service in securing the city.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4492\">American League All-Star team adds Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras to roster<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>Officials there, including acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and top White House adviser Stephen Miller, spoke to the troops both about the crime in the city as well as security preparations for the 250 celebrations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s a righteous and beautiful mission,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Pentagon referred questions to the Joint Task Force-District of Columbia which did not respond to a series of questions on the deployments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Chatterjee told The Associated Press that the Democratic governors who had sent personnel to the city were \u201cpretending they don\u2019t know\u201d that their Guard members could be used as part of the Safe and Beautiful Task Force, established through a presidential executive order last year and said to be fighting crime in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<h2>Minnesota ends deployment early as Michigan weighs next steps<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Minnesota is set to withdraw its Guard members this Saturday, earlier than the planned July 23 return.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In a statement, Air Force Maj. Nathan Wallin, deputy state public affairs officer for the Minnesota National Guard, attributed that to \u201cthe successful conclusion of festivities\u201d and made no mention of activists\u2019 concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A lone Kentucky Guard member was brought home before the main events began after being diverted to the task force \u201cwithout the knowledge or consent\u201d of the state\u2019s governor or its Guard command, said Scottie Ellis, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear\u2019s communications director.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Michigan\u2019s deployment is due to continue through Aug. 31. But Whitmer has threatened to end it if there are more reports of the Michigan Guard being used in the ongoing law enforcement deployment. In a letter last week to the commanding general of the state\u2019s National Guard, she asked that the Guard\u2019s duties be limited to the 250 celebrations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI have not deployed \u2013 and will not deploy \u2013 the Michigan National Guard to support the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Mission,\u201d she wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of Liberty and National Security at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law and a signatory to the letter to Whitmer, said the governors of the Democratic states that sent Guard members were placing their trust in the administration to limit the use of their guard forces.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThey are trying to make a distinction here between what their Guard forces are doing in D.C.,\u201d she said. \u201cThe problem is the administration is not making that distinction \u2014 and cannot be trusted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4491\">Trump administration guts efforts to prevent gun violence, suppressing reports<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Organizations claim that troops sent to help secure celebrations for July 4th are being used for the Trump administration&#8217;s open-ended Guard deployment in D.C.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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