The U.S. Department of Defense on Friday authorized National Guard troops, who President Donald Trump deployed to Washington, to begin carrying their service weapons.
At the direction of the Secretary of Defense, members of Joint Task Force-DC supporting the mission to reduce the crime rate in our nation’s capital will soon be on mission with their service weapons in accordance with their mission and training,” a Pentagon official confirmed to EFE.
However, there was no information on when this decision will begin or why, which will affect the members of the JTC, made up of the 800 members of the Washington Guard, plus those of the six states governed by Republicans (West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee) that have decided to send more troops.
With their arrival, the number of National Guard troops alone has risen to approximately 2,000. Also patrolling the city are the Metropolitan Police and federal agents from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“The Acting Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard reserves the authority to make necessary adjustments in force posture, in coordination with the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police and federal law enforcement,” Defense explained.
National Guard takes control of Washington
Last August 11, Trump took control of Washington’s security, initially for 30 days, under the law that allows him to intervene in the city’s authority on the grounds that there is an “emergency” due to high crime.
This Friday, when asked about it, the president suggested that this term could be extended if he considers it necessary. To do so, he needs the endorsement of Congress, but he is confident that he will have it because he has a majority in both chambers.
According to the latest data from Attorney General Pam Bondi, the number of arrests in the city stands at 719 since the operation began and 91 illegal weapons have been seized.
Yesterday alone, ICE detained 36 people, while activists and organizations denounce that the operation is being used to detain immigrants who have nothing to do with crime in the capital.
Trump boasted about this data and did not rule out extending the operation to other metropolises, such as Chicago or San Francisco.
Like Washington, Chicago and San Francisco are in Democratic states, and in all three cities the crime figures are behind others such as Memphis, in the state of Tennessee; St. Louis, in Missouri; or Detroit, in Michigan. All of them are Republican and are not being talked about, reported Agencia EFE.
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