Governor Bill Lee has granted a request by the Trump administration to mobilize Tennessee National Guard troops to assist with federalized crime crackdown efforts in Washington, D.C.
On Monday, Lee’s office told WKRN, “Upon orders from President Trump, Gov. Lee granted the Administration’s request to provide Tennessee National Guardsmen under Title 32 status to assist the District of Columbia National Guard on a security mission in our nation’s capital.”
The governor’s office revealed that approximately 160 guardsmen will depart from Tennessee this week for D.C. to “work alongside local and federal law enforcement agencies to assist with monument security, community safety patrols, protecting federal facilities, and traffic control” for “as long as needed.”
Last week, President Donald Trump issued an executive order invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to place the Metropolitan Police under federal control for up to 30 days unless extended by a joint resolution of Congress.
The president further directed the U.S. Department of Defense to mobilize National Guard troops until “law and order is restored” in the capital.
The Defense Department has since called up and activated more than 800 D.C. National Guard troops, both Army and Air National Guard, to participate in the “Safe and Beautiful Task Force” as outlined in Trump’s March 28 executive order titled, “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful.”
Additional National Guard troops from West Virginia, Ohio, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Mississippi are expected to arrive in D.C. this week to assist with the task force.
Army Lt. Col. John E. Landry of the Army outreach office in the Pentagon said the initial mission of guardsmen mobilized in D.C. is to “provide a visible presence in key public areas, serving as a crime deterrent,” meaning the troops will not arrest, search, or direct law enforcement.
However, while they will not conduct arrests, Landry said guardsmen “have the authority to temporarily detain individuals to prevent imminent harm, ensuring that custody is promptly transferred to law enforcement authorities.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Gov. Bill Lee and the National Guard” by Gov. Bill Lee.
The Tenn guard is needed in East Tennessee, not Washington. Lee is a RINO.