Washington, D.C. — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is ending his state’s National Guard deployment to Washington, D.C., early after members were seen on patrols away from the America 250 celebration areas they were sent to support.
Walz sent Minnesota Guard members to the capital with instructions to assist only with official anniversary events near the National Mall and national monuments. NPR reported that the decision to bring them home came after it became clear some troops were being used on presence patrols in other neighborhoods.
Several Democratic governors, including those from Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan, Maryland, and Hawaii, also sent Guard members with event-specific orders. Their deployments came as President Donald Trump’s federal task force has kept thousands of armed Guard members in Washington for law enforcement and public-safety patrols.
The number of troops in the city has grown to more than 5,100 during a federal “summer surge.” NPR reported that the deployment costs more than $3 million per day, citing a Congressional Budget Office estimate.
Civil-liberties groups and D.C. officials have raised concerns about mission creep and military patrols in civilian neighborhoods. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is facing pressure to recall her state’s Guard members, whose deployment is scheduled through Aug. 31.
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