West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said on 16 August he is deploying 300 to 400 members of the West Virginia National Guard to Washington, D.C., at the Trump administration’s request. The troops will bring mission-essential equipment and training, with costs covered by the federal government. Over the next two days, Republican governors in South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi and Louisiana followed suit. South Carolina authorised 200 soldiers, Ohio is sending 150 military police, Mississippi approved 200 troops and Louisiana committed roughly 135. Each governor framed the move as support for President Donald Trump’s initiative to reduce crime in the nation’s capital. Detachments from West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana began arriving in Washington on 19 August, according to the Associated Press. Their deployments, combined with the District’s own 800-member Guard activation, are expected to lift the number of Guard personnel in the city to well above 1,000. Trump’s executive order last week declared a “crime emergency,” placed the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and directed federal agencies to assist with immigration enforcement. City officials, led by Mayor Muriel Bowser, argue violent crime is at a 30-year low and say the operation is politically motivated. The Pentagon and White House have not said how long the out-of-state troops will remain or whether they will eventually be armed. Governors retain authority to recall their forces for natural disasters, but for now the Guard units are assigned to crowd-control duties and patrols around federal landmarks.