Overview

• West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey activated 300–400 National Guard personnel for a federally funded mission in Washington, alongside commitments of roughly 200 from South Carolina and 150 from Ohio.
• State adjutant generals retain command under Title 32 with support duties, and a recent order authorizes arming a portion of Guardsmen to protect federal assets.
• A federal judge blocked a DOJ bid to install an emergency police commissioner, ensuring MPD Chief Pamela Smith remains in charge while Home Rule litigation proceeds.
• Local officials and residents have held protests and filed lawsuits against the expanded deployments as an overreach of federal power into the district’s policing and homelessness policies.
• Critics note violent crime in Washington was at a 30-year low when President Trump returned and has fallen another 26%, raising questions about the need for military-style deployments.