WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops is being extended by more than two years and will last until the end of his term.
The Pentagon confirmed the extension in an email Thursday, saying the mission will continue until Jan. 20, 2029, 鈥渙r until terminated by the President.鈥� The deployment was after previously being extended.
The deployment in Washington, D.C., has been contentious since in August 2025 to deal with what he called a crime emergency, calling up the Guard and additional federal law enforcement officers. The administration has said crime has rapidly fallen since then, although local officials have argued that crime was already going down before Trump ordered 2,500 troops into the city.
During their deployment, Guard members have responded to medical emergencies, assisted with arrests, helped with snow removal and carried out .
鈥淭axpayers are to have them walk around,鈥� Phil Mendelson, chairman of the District of Columbia Council, said in April, adding that 鈥渢he presence of armed soldiers on American streets is not a good look.鈥�
Deployments to other cities have ended or been , while more limited operations are ongoing in cities including . But in Washington, Guard members still walk city streets and patrol metro stations, tourist attractions, neighborhoods and parks.
A Guard member and another was wounded in November after authorities said a man drove from Washington state to D.C. and opened fire outside a subway station three blocks from the White House. Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who was killed, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe were deployed from West Virginia.
Because the city of Washington is a congressionally established federal district, Trump has much greater influence over the police and D.C. National Guard, which he can control directly. This has enabled him to sidestep the legal challenges he has faced in some states.
While the Guard members do not make arrests, the Trump administration has argued their support to the broader mission has helped reduce crime. The White House said in April that 12,000 arrests have been made by a joint task force since operations began, including 62 known gang members, and thousands of illegal firearms were seized.
But officials disagree over how much credit the deployment can be given in Washington, a heavily Democratic city. Figures have shown that crime was already on the decline before, although those figures sparked an investigation after that they may have been manipulated.
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