TRUMP'S FEDERALIZED GROUNDSKEEPERS
Trash, mulch and security: All jobs for troops in Washington
There could eventually be "pushback from the Guard saying, you know, either we get a real mission... which doesn't seem to be there, or send us home."
Washington (AFP) – From breaking up a fight or identifying a suspected robber to picking up trash and removing graffiti, National Guard forces are on an unusual deployment mixing security and cleanup in the US capital.
Issued on: 16/09/2025 -
The US Capitol building is visible as armed members of the National Guard stand outside Union Station on August 27, 2025 in Washington, DC © Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Now such unorthodox assignments may soon be replicated elsewhere, with President Donald Trump on Monday signing an order sending troops to Memphis, Tennessee.
Trump deployed the military in Washington a little over a month ago to help crack down on what he claimed was out-of-control crime, despite police statistics showing violent offenses were down in the city.
The contentious move -- which the Washington attorney general's office said amounts to an "involuntary military occupation" -- offers a preview of what the National Guard may do not only in Memphis, but also in Baltimore and Chicago where Trump has threatened to send troops.
"Fighting crime in this manner is very unusual," Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine colonel and senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said of the Washington deployment.
Guard members have been called in for particular incidents that last a few days, "but this longer-term policing function" is not typical, Cancian said.
There are currently some 2,300 troops in Washington, more than half of them from eight Republican-led states and the rest from the city's National Guard.
Federal law enforcement personnel have also increased their presence on Washington's streets, and Trump threatened overnight Monday to declare a national emergency and federalize the city because Mayor Muriel Bowser said local police would no longer help with immigration enforcement.
Now such unorthodox assignments may soon be replicated elsewhere, with President Donald Trump on Monday signing an order sending troops to Memphis, Tennessee.
Trump deployed the military in Washington a little over a month ago to help crack down on what he claimed was out-of-control crime, despite police statistics showing violent offenses were down in the city.
The contentious move -- which the Washington attorney general's office said amounts to an "involuntary military occupation" -- offers a preview of what the National Guard may do not only in Memphis, but also in Baltimore and Chicago where Trump has threatened to send troops.
"Fighting crime in this manner is very unusual," Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine colonel and senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said of the Washington deployment.
Guard members have been called in for particular incidents that last a few days, "but this longer-term policing function" is not typical, Cancian said.
There are currently some 2,300 troops in Washington, more than half of them from eight Republican-led states and the rest from the city's National Guard.
Federal law enforcement personnel have also increased their presence on Washington's streets, and Trump threatened overnight Monday to declare a national emergency and federalize the city because Mayor Muriel Bowser said local police would no longer help with immigration enforcement.
'Visible crime deterrent'
A member of the National Guard patrols inside the Foggy Bottom Metrorail Station in Washington as part of President Donald Trump's effort to reduce crime in the US capital © SAUL LOEB / AFP/File
A spokesperson for Joint Task Force-DC (JTF-DC) -- to which the National Guard troops in the city are assigned -- said they are tasked with "monument security, community safety patrols, protecting Federal facilities, traffic control posts, and area beautification."
"Guard members will provide a visible crime deterrent, not arrest, search, or conduct direct law enforcement actions," the spokesperson said.
JTF-DC statements provide a snapshot of troop activities.
On September 12, for instance, they responded to a potential active shooter situation at a Metro station, cordoning off the area. Five days earlier they broke up a fight near another station.
In late August they identified and followed a suspected robber until police arrived and made an arrest, and protected a family that was being harassed by a man who said he had a gun.
National Guard forces are also involved in projects aimed at city cleanup -- another of Trump's stated goals.
As of September 15, troops cleared some 900 bags of trash, spread more than 700 cubic yards (535 cubic meters) of mulch, removed five truckloads of plant waste, and painted nearly 100 yards (90 meters) of fencing, according to JTF-DC.
A spokesperson for Joint Task Force-DC (JTF-DC) -- to which the National Guard troops in the city are assigned -- said they are tasked with "monument security, community safety patrols, protecting Federal facilities, traffic control posts, and area beautification."
"Guard members will provide a visible crime deterrent, not arrest, search, or conduct direct law enforcement actions," the spokesperson said.
JTF-DC statements provide a snapshot of troop activities.
On September 12, for instance, they responded to a potential active shooter situation at a Metro station, cordoning off the area. Five days earlier they broke up a fight near another station.
In late August they identified and followed a suspected robber until police arrived and made an arrest, and protected a family that was being harassed by a man who said he had a gun.
National Guard forces are also involved in projects aimed at city cleanup -- another of Trump's stated goals.
As of September 15, troops cleared some 900 bags of trash, spread more than 700 cubic yards (535 cubic meters) of mulch, removed five truckloads of plant waste, and painted nearly 100 yards (90 meters) of fencing, according to JTF-DC.
'Shame and alarm'
Cancian said that while these are not typical jobs for the Guard, troops have "been used for all kinds of things," from handing out leaflets during the pandemic to shoveling snow or driving buses.
However, "if you want to do landscaping, hire a landscaping company," he said, as they are "much, much better at it, and cheaper, faster."
The deployment has been controversial -- something JTF-DC is well aware of, according to a document mistakenly sent to journalists this month.
The document, a daily summary gauging media and online sentiment, said social media mentions "from self-identified veterans and active-duty commenters expressed shame and alarm" about the deployment.
"Trending videos show residents reacting with alarm and indignation," it said, also referring to "mentions of fatigue, confusion, and demoralization -- 'just gardening,' unclear mission, wedge between citizens and the military."
The open-ended nature of the mission in Washington could also be an issue, Cancian said, noting that "strain increases" as the deployment goes on, especially if "people don't think that they're doing something that's particularly important."
There could eventually be "pushback from the Guard saying, you know, either we get a real mission... which doesn't seem to be there, or send us home."
© 2025 AFP
BLUE CITY, RED STATE
Memphis becomes latest target of Trump's crackdown
US President Donald Trump on Monday ordered National Guard troops into Memphis, casting the city as a crime hotspot despite police figures showing overall crime at a 25-year low.
Issued on: 16/09/2025
By: FRANCE 24
Memphis becomes latest target of Trump's crackdown
US President Donald Trump on Monday ordered National Guard troops into Memphis, casting the city as a crime hotspot despite police figures showing overall crime at a 25-year low.
Issued on: 16/09/2025
By: FRANCE 24
US President Donald Trump signs a Presidential Memorandum that will send members of the National Guard and federal law enforcement agencies to Memphis, Tennessee. Washington, DC, September 15, 2025. © Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images via AFP
President Donald Trump on Monday signed an order sending the National Guard into Memphis to combat crime, constituting his latest test of the limits of presidential power by using military force in American cities.
Trump made the announcement with Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee visiting the Oval Office, calling what's coming a “replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts” in Washington.
That was a reference to last month, when the president deployed National Guard troops to the nation's capital and federalized the city’s police force in a crackdown he has since argued reduced crime.
Trump said that, in addition to troops, the push in Memphis would involve officials from various federal agencies, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshall's service: "We’re sending in the big force now.”
Shortly before Trump's announcement, the White House said on social media that the Memphis total crime rate was higher than the national average and suggested that the rate had increased since last year, bucking national trends.
That's despite Memphis police recently reporting decreases across every major crime category in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in previous years. Overall crime hit a 25-year low, while murder hit a six-year low, police said.
Despite the overall decrease, Memphis has dealt with stubborn gun violence problems for years. In 2023, the city set a record with more than 390 homicides.
Tennessee’s governor embraced the troop deployment as part of a broader law enforcement surge in Memphis. “Lee said Monday that he was "tired of crime holding the great city of Memphis back.”
Trump first suggested he'd be deploying the National Guard to Memphis on Friday, draying pushback from the Democratic leader of Memphis, which is majority Black.
“I did not ask for the National Guard, and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime,” Mayor Paul Young told a news conference Friday while acknowledging the city remained high on too many “bad lists.”
Speculation had centered on Chicago as Trump’s next city to send in the National Guard and other federal authorities. But the administration has faced fierce resistance from Democratic Illinois J.B. Pritzker and other local authorities.
Trump said Monday, “We’re going to be doing Chicago probably next” but also suggested that authorities would wait and not act immediately there.
“We want to save these places," Trump said. He singled out St. Louis and Baltimore, but didn't say either place would be getting federal forces or the National Guard.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
President Donald Trump on Monday signed an order sending the National Guard into Memphis to combat crime, constituting his latest test of the limits of presidential power by using military force in American cities.
Trump made the announcement with Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee visiting the Oval Office, calling what's coming a “replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts” in Washington.
That was a reference to last month, when the president deployed National Guard troops to the nation's capital and federalized the city’s police force in a crackdown he has since argued reduced crime.
Trump said that, in addition to troops, the push in Memphis would involve officials from various federal agencies, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshall's service: "We’re sending in the big force now.”
Shortly before Trump's announcement, the White House said on social media that the Memphis total crime rate was higher than the national average and suggested that the rate had increased since last year, bucking national trends.
That's despite Memphis police recently reporting decreases across every major crime category in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in previous years. Overall crime hit a 25-year low, while murder hit a six-year low, police said.
Despite the overall decrease, Memphis has dealt with stubborn gun violence problems for years. In 2023, the city set a record with more than 390 homicides.
Tennessee’s governor embraced the troop deployment as part of a broader law enforcement surge in Memphis. “Lee said Monday that he was "tired of crime holding the great city of Memphis back.”
Trump first suggested he'd be deploying the National Guard to Memphis on Friday, draying pushback from the Democratic leader of Memphis, which is majority Black.
“I did not ask for the National Guard, and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime,” Mayor Paul Young told a news conference Friday while acknowledging the city remained high on too many “bad lists.”
Speculation had centered on Chicago as Trump’s next city to send in the National Guard and other federal authorities. But the administration has faced fierce resistance from Democratic Illinois J.B. Pritzker and other local authorities.
Trump said Monday, “We’re going to be doing Chicago probably next” but also suggested that authorities would wait and not act immediately there.
“We want to save these places," Trump said. He singled out St. Louis and Baltimore, but didn't say either place would be getting federal forces or the National Guard.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
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