National Guard troops are not arresting people in Washington, D.C., while helping to "create a safe environment" for law enforcement officials, a White House official told CNN.
Members of the National Guard began deploying in Washington, D.C., Tuesday night as part of President Donald Trump's sweeping federal initiative to combat crime, following his order to place the city's police under direct federal control.
The National Guard's presence in the district was expected to expand Wednesday evening, CNN reported.
According to the White House, about 800 National Guard members are expected to participate in the mission.
"A WH official tells me the National Guard is not arresting people as part of their deployment to DC," CNN's Alayna Treene wrote Wednesday afternoon on X.
"The official said the National Guard members have been given orders to enforce & assist federal and local law enforcement, but not make arrests.
"They are there to 'create a safe environment for other officers,' the White House official explained."
Treene posted an additional comment a few minutes later.
"While National Guard troops have the authority to temporarily detain people (if they are seen as a threat to federal agents), officials say the expectation is that they won't be the ones detaining people since the plan is to have law enforcement agents with them," she posted on X.
A Department of Defense official told NBC News that National Guard troops will help with security, crowd management, perimeter control and communications support for law enforcement.
However, Guard members will not be arresting, searching or performing "direct law enforcement" and, in most cases, won't be carrying firearms, according to the official.
A White House official said a total of 43 arrests, twice the total of the previous evening, were made Tuesday night, The Guardian reported.
A Metropolitan Police Department spokesman said a total of 76 arrests were made throughout the day citywide Tuesday, and the agency’s data showed they made an average of 56 arrests per day in 2024.
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