President Donald Trump is expanding his federal crackdown on crime in Washington by drawing on National Guard units from several Republican-led states. West Virginia led the surge on Aug. 16, sending between 300 and 400 soldiers along with equipment and training support. South Carolina has committed 200 troops, Ohio 150, Mississippi 200, Louisiana 135 and Tennessee about 160, adding to the 800 D.C. Guard members Trump activated on Aug. 11. Federal officials say the reinforcements will push the uniformed presence in the capital beyond 2,000 personnel this week. The deployments are being carried out under Title 32 authority, leaving the troops under their governors’ command while the federal government covers the cost. According to reports in The Wall Street Journal and NBC News, Guard units that initially arrived without firearms have been told to prepare to carry weapons—an abrupt shift in policy as the mission broadens from traffic control and facility protection to street patrols alongside federal agents and the temporarily federalized Metropolitan Police Department. Trump justified the action by declaring a “crime emergency,” but Mayor Muriel Bowser and local officials contend that violent crime is at a three-decade low and say the operation is disproportionate. Legal analysts note that while the president has clear authority in the federal district, any attempt to dispatch Guard units to other cities could face challenges under the Posse Comitatus Act. Governors involved in the D.C. deployment have reserved the right to recall their troops if natural disasters or other state emergencies arise.