The White House has clarified that recent National Guard activations in 19 states are not connected to President Donald Trump’s plans to extend federal crime enforcement efforts beyond Washington, D.C.
Up to 1,700 National Guardsmen are expected to deploy across 19 states in the coming weeks to assist the Department of Homeland Security with the administration’s nationwide efforts to curb illegal immigration.
This operation, first announced last month, is separate from any federal interventions targeting high-crime cities, a White House official told Fox News.
“This isn’t new nor is it tied to the President’s efforts to address violent crime in D.C.,” the official said Friday. “DoD announced last month that National Guard troops would assist DHS with clerical support and other logistical tasks for processing illegal aliens at ICE facilities. It is separate from the federal interagency crime crackdown.”
Earlier this month, President Trump activated the National Guard in Washington, D.C., as part of a campaign to reduce violent crime in the capital. Touting the operation’s success — which has included at least 465 arrests — Trump suggested he may expand the mission to other cities. “We’re going to make it safe, and we’re going to then go on to other places,” he told federal agents and Guard troops Thursday at a D.C. patrol center. On Friday, he added, “I think Chicago will be our next. And then we’ll help with New York.”
The White House emphasized that the two operations are distinct. “The National Guard mobilizing to assist ICE processing with clerical and logistical tasks in several states is not the same as the President’s actions to stop crime in D.C.,” the official said.
The deployment of 1,700 National Guardsmen, first announced in a July 25 Pentagon press release, will involve collecting personal data, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing, and photographing detainees, allowing ICE agents to focus on enforcement duties.
Under the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, federal armed forces generally cannot be used for civilian law enforcement. However, National Guard troops in this operation will operate under Title 32 Section 502F authority, which does not fall under Posse Comitatus restrictions. At DHS’s request, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved hundreds of additional forces for ICE support in July and changed existing approvals from Title 10 to Title 32 status.
“We understood ICE’s needs at that time to be more administrative in nature… as planning continued, working with our partners, it became clear more that ICE needed something different,” a U.S. defense official told Fox News.
Meanwhile, 2,279 National Guard soldiers and airmen from Washington, D.C., and six states are already deployed in the capital, having completed training, according to a Joint Task Force spokesperson. Guard members are posted at monuments, checkpoints, and traffic stops across all eight wards, maintaining a visible presence to deter crime. Under Hegseth’s authorization, these members are permitted to carry weapons if necessary. Unlike state-controlled Guard forces, D.C. troops operate under direct presidential authority.
While the Pentagon described the mobilizations as supporting nationwide efforts against crime and illegal immigration, the White House noted that planning for National Guard activations in 19 states preceded Trump’s recent comments about replicating D.C.’s enforcement model elsewhere.
“Bottom line: The National Guard mobilizing to assist ICE processing with clerical and logistical tasks in several states is not the same as the President’s actions to stop crime in D.C.,” the official said.
In Washington, D.C., National Guard forces continue presence patrols at Metro stations, Union Station, the National Mall, and alongside U.S. Park Police. Officials also noted the D.C. operation ties into beautification efforts ahead of next year’s 250th Independence Day celebration. President Trump has suggested the Guard may remain in the city for an extended period, with the potential to expand operations to other regions.
