September 12, 2025/Midnight
Erie, PA. – District of Columbia National Guard troops deployed by President Donald Trump received orders to extend their stay through the rest of 2025. On August 11, President Trump sent over 2,200 troops to D.C. to crack down on crime.
The National Guard members deployed to D.C. are from all over the country. Soldiers are from states like South Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi. The soldiers’ station in D.C. left their civilian lives and jobs behind to work for President Trump. National Guard soldiers are stationed to do military work but are doing the complete opposite.
President Trump’s executive order titled, “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful,” ordered federal agencies to restore monuments that have been defaced or damaged, remove graffiti, and overall make D.C. clean. The National Guard are deployed under this executive order. Troops have noted the problem with this is their purpose is unclear and not the job of soldiers.
In D.C. National Guard troops walk 12 hours a day patrolling the streets for any dangers. The missions most troops have been assigned involve patrolling tourist destinations and beautification projects. Beautification tasks include replanting grass, collecting trash, cleaning roadways, and disposing of waste.
These mundane tasks are not part of the traditional National Guard job description. Usually, the National Guard is called to aid with natural disasters, riots, and emergencies. A handful of troops feel that these tasks are not an issue. While many other soldiers have problems with their time being wasted for menial tasks. The wife of a Mississippi soldier said that her wife is missing “a lot of first events with her child.”
President Trump threatens to send more troops to other cities with high crime rates. Cities including Chicago, Baltimore, and New Orleans are a part of his administrative expulsion of crime. He plans to keep troops deployed if he sees fit.
According to CNN Politics, carjackings have dropped 37%, robberies decrease by 50%, and there is a 23% drop in violent crime. The Justice Department reported violent crime fell to a 30 year low in 2024. Trump’s mission to control violence has been successful but D.C. natives can see the truth in his agenda.
D.C. residents’ initial feelings towards this deployment were negative. Residents felt the presence of the National Guard was unnecessary and a power play by President Trump. Residents and businesses have emphasized their support for more police in D.C. But they feel that people would be more scared of the National Guard because of the military weaponry and uniforms patrolling the streets.
With this extended deployment, National Guard soldiers question their purpose in D.C. Troops have various hopes and desires for the end of their deployment. These soldiers are leaving their families for an indefinite amount of time and D.C. residents criticize their very existence in D.C. As eager families and soldiers await more direction on their mission, D.C. natives hope their deployment ends sooner rather than later.
