National Guard Widens DC Deployment

The National Guard began increasing its presence in Washington on Thursday, deploying troops to the National Mall and Metro stations as President Donald Trump's federal takeover of city crime-fighting operations takes shape, The Hill reported.

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Overnight, initial signs of public resistance emerged at a checkpoint that temporarily halted traffic on one of the city's main streets. The White House said more than 1,600 personnel were involved in operations across the city on Wednesday, making 45 arrests, mostly of immigrants without permanent legal status.

While the Guard's presence was relatively small earlier in the week, by Thursday all roughly 800 Army and Air National Guard troops ordered by Trump had mobilized for duty, Pentagon officials confirmed.

"They will remain until law and order has been restored in the district as determined by the president, standing as the gatekeepers of our great nation's capital," Department of Defense press secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters at the Pentagon. She added that Guard members will assist the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and federal law enforcement officers with "community safety patrols," protecting monuments, federal facilities and traffic control posts, and "area beautification."