2:40Personnel from the District’s National Guard stand watch near Union Station in Washington on Aug. 19, 2025. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
The contingent of National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., swelled once more on Tuesday after a sixth GOP-run state dispatched soldiers to the capital under the commander in chief’s call-up aimed at countering what he calls surging lawlessness.
Tennessee contributed 160 service members on Tuesday, raising the combined troop tally for the city to 2,021. Roughly 900 of them—some military police—had taken up their posts by Tuesday afternoon, the majority without weapons.
In addition to the D.C. contingent, five other states had earlier supplied forces for what the administration titles the D.C. mobilization: Louisiana, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia and Mississippi.
Personnel from the DC National Guard stand guard outside Union Station in Washington, Aug. 19, 2025.Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Guard teams are now aiding police at ten Metro stops and maintaining a modest presence on the National Mall, officials running the program—branded the “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force”—said.
Among the stations are L’Enfant Plaza, Gallery Place, Metro Center and Union Station. Commanders have stressed that Guardsmen are not making arrests, merely assisting in detaining people temporarily when needed before turning them over to officers.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated later that 465 people have been taken into federal custody since the president initiated the Aug. 7 law-enforcement surge; 52 were apprehended on Monday night, Leavitt added, without disclosing possible charges.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt briefs reporters at the White House in Washington, Aug. 19, 2025.Alexander Drago/Reuters
“Four additional homeless encampments were dismantled during yesterday’s cycle,” she noted. “Overall, multi-agency squads have now cleared 48 such sites in Washington.”
Asked how long residents should expect the Guard to remain in the district, Leavitt said no “timeline” was available yet.
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
