National Guard Troops to Remain in Washington DC through February, Amid Criticism of Domestic Law Enforcement Use

National Guard troops sent to the nation's capital will reportedly remain in Washington DC through at least February, with nearly 2,400 troops currently stationed in the city, according to CNN. The extension of their presence, costing around $1m daily, comes amid criticism from Washington DC officials and Democratic lawmakers, who have described the deployments as "involuntary military occupation" and an illegal use of the military for domestic law enforcement.

The extension of the national guard's presence is the latest chapter in President Donald Trump's use of national law enforcement to ostensibly prevent crime, following similar deployments to Chicago and threatened deployments to other Democratic-run cities such as San Francisco, Portland, and New York. These moves mark an escalation in the federal government's rare intervention into policing US cities and have been met with outrage from local organizers and Democratic officials.

Key Takeaways:

• 2,400 national guard troops are currently stationed in Washington DC, according to CNN.
• The national guard's presence costs around $1m daily.
• The extension of their presence was ordered by Pete Hegseth, the US Department of Defense's executive director of national security.
• The Trump administration has deployed national guard troops to Washington DC, Chicago, and threatened to deploy to other Democratic-run cities such as San Francisco, Portland, and New York.
• A federal judge in California ruled in September that Trump's deployment of national guard troops to Los Angeles after protests over immigration raids in June had been illegal.
• A top US military official ordered the national guards of all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, and US territories to form "quick reaction forces" trained in "riot control", including the use of batons, body shields, Tasers, and pepper spray, according to an internal Pentagon directive reviewed by the Guardian.

Statistics:

• 2400 national guard troops are currently stationed in Washington DC.
• The cost of the national guard's presence in Washington DC is around $1m daily.
• 500 national guard members are required to be trained in each state, for a total of 23,500 troops nationwide, according to the internal Pentagon directive.
• The national guard's presence in Washington DC is set to last through at least February.

Sources:

• CNN: "National Guard troops to stay in Washington, DC through February"
• CNN: "Washington, DC sues Trump over deployment of National Guard"
• Guardian: "Pentagon directive orders state national guards to form 'quick reaction forces'"