A White House official told CBS News on Saturday that members of the National Guard deployed in Washington, DC, as part of President Trump’s efforts to combat crime in the national capital and control Of the city police “can be armed”, but the members of the guard would not carry out arrests.
“The National Guard does not carry out arrests at the moment – they can be armed, in accordance with their mission and their training, to protect federal assets, provide a safe environment to law enforcement agents to carry out arrests and dissuade violent crimes with a visible presence on the application of laws,” said the official.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to point out on Saturday that the soldiers of the National Guard at DC are ready to start wearing weapons in the coming days – a change compared to previous forecasts.
In a press release provided on Saturday at CBS News on Saturday, a spokesperson for the National Guard reiterated that members of the deployed guard “can be armed in accordance with their mission and their training,” adding that “their presence is focused on supporting civil authorities and guaranteeing the safety of the community they serve”.
Getty images 
An official of the Ministry of Defense told CBS News on Thursday that the members deployed to the National Guard would not be armed at the request of law enforcement partners. The official also said that they would not have weapons in their vehicles.
“They are equipped with personal protective equipment to include body armor; weapons are available if necessary but will remain in armory,” the US military said in a statement earlier this week.
The army also said in its press release that the guard would not arrest.
The president deployed the National Guard to DC on Monday. Citing violent crimes and the homeless, Trump declared a public security emergency and placed the city’s metropolitan police service under federal control. The president also deployed 800 members of the National Guard in the city.
“I am deploying the National Guard to help restore the law, order and public security in Washington, DC, and they will be allowed to do their job properly,” the president said at a press conference on Monday.
Saturday, Republican Governor of Virginia-Western announcement It would deploy around 300 to 400 of the members of the State National Guard to DC also.
Violent crimes at DC reached its lowest level in more than 30 years in 2024, according to the Ministry of Justice. Some DC residents are now protesting against the increased presence of the police.
In an article on social networks on Saturday, FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson said that the federal authorities had carried out 166 DC arrests during the week since Trump said a public security emergency.
