Mississippi, Louisiana join Trump’s troop deployment in US capital

President Donald Trump has won fresh support from Republican governors in his effort to flood the U.S. capital with National Guard troops, deepening a controversial security push that has drawn sharp criticism from Washington residents and city leaders.

On August 18, the governors of Mississippi and Louisiana announced they would dispatch hundreds of troops to Washington, joining Ohio, West Virginia and South Carolina in responding to the president’s call for reinforcements, Caliber.Az reports citing U.S. media.

Collectively, the five states are sending about 1,000 troops on top of the 800 already deployed from the D.C. National Guard.

Governor Tate Reeves of Mississippi said he would send 200 troops because “Americans deserve a safe capital city that we can all be proud of.” In his statement, he echoed Trump’s portrayal of Washington as “lawless,” even though violent crime in the city has dropped to a three-decade low.

The Louisiana National Guard said in a statement that “as directed by the president of the United States,” it was sending 135 members to protect federal buildings and monuments. Governor Jeff Landry added on social media: “I am proud to support this mission to return safety and sanity to Washington.”

Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that Washington is falsifying crime statistics to disguise a city in decline. District leaders counter that the administration has weakened local policing through budget cuts and inaction.

The deployment also raises unresolved questions. Governors typically command their own state Guards, yet the White House has blurred that line — most notably in Los Angeles earlier this summer, where the president unilaterally deployed troops in a case still being fought in federal court.

It is unclear in Washington who is directing the newly arriving forces or where exactly they will be stationed.

The show of force has divided opinion among residents. Patrick O’Rourke, a long-time Washingtonian, dismissed the move as “a joke.” Stanley Watters, a retired real estate agent, said: “He’s just trying to show off that he’s got this power and is willing to use it in an authoritarian way.”

Others faulted city leadership rather than the White House. “I think it falls back on the mayor,” said Lamont Johnson. “If local government did its job, federal forces would not be needed.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev