Three more states deploy National Guard to DC as "occupation" criticism mounts

West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio deployed 700 combined National Guard troops to DC on Aug. 17, 2025, bringing total military presence to approximately 1,500 personnel at the time (later growing to 2,600-2,700)

The deployment costs approximately $1 million daily according to expert estimates, funded federally while draining state personnel from emergency response capabilities

DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson officially called the deployments "unnecessary, counterproductive, and illegal" and described it as "a manufactured intrusion on local authority"

DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed lawsuit Sep. 4, 2025, characterizing the deployment as "involuntary military occupation" violating the Home Rule Act

Federal Judge Jia Cobb ruled Nov. 20, 2025 that the deployment exceeded presidential authority and violated DC's Home Rule Act, though ruling was stayed for appeals

Violent crime in DC dropped 35% in 2024 to lowest level in 30 years according to DOJ, contradicting administration's claims of "rampant crime" justifying military deployment

The deployments marked unprecedented peacetime use of multi-state National Guard forces for extended domestic policing in the nation's capital

Constitutional scholars and DC officials argued the deployment violated the Posse Comitatus Act's prohibition on military domestic law enforcement