Following DC success, Trump deploys national guard nationwide

Following his very successful campaign to reverse crime rates in the nation's capital, President Donald Trump has used its momentum to expand the national guard deployment to across the nation, sparking further criticism from Americans and experts.

Two members of the National Guard deployed just in front of the Capitol Building in the National Mall.

As of late August 2025, the Trump administration made 1,700 new National Guard deployments across nineteen states like Texas, Florida, and Virginia, under Title 32 authority, which gives the U.S. federal government the right to manage National Guard troops.

These forces, unlike the ones sent to Washington DC to reduce crime rates, are instead meant to assist the Department of Homeland Security of ICE with administrative and logistical tasks like fingerprinting, transporting individuals from one place to another, and swabbing for DNA. However, they are not authorized to conduct arrests, which according to Title 32 is permitted as they are under state command, avoiding restrictions set by the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878.

In addition, the U.S. Pentagon has made new suggestions of even further expansion to other states and counties. Plans are underway to deploy "several thousand" National Guard troops to Chicago by next month, following previously deemed successful deployments in other cities such as Washington DC and Los Angeles (during the ICE riots).

This new deployment raises fears that while the Guard will operate lawfully for now, through deployments in Chicago and other inner cities, they might pursue arrests like they did in the capital. Trump might utilize the Insurrection Act or Title 10, Section 12406 to do so, which would raise legal eyebrows.

This new deployment could advance the Newsom v. Trump case which argues that the Trump administration's overreach (ultra vires) violated the Tenth Amendment and the Posse Comitatus Act. Judge Breyer agreed with the side of the State of California, ordering National Guard to be under the jurisdiction of the state. Furthermore, attorney generals from 21 states have created lawsuits or protests against previous Guard deployments, with these new ones having a high probability of similar public outlash.