Twelve members of the South Dakota National Guard are joining troops policing Washington, D.C., according to an announcement Sunday by Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden.
He said the mobilization comes at the request of President Donald Trump. Rhoden said South Dakota “stands in solidarity” with the president’s efforts.
“With the National Guard’s help, President Trump has restored law and order to our nation’s capital – and our guardsmen will help keep it that way,” Rhoden said. “We will not sit on the sidelines while crime threatens the safety of our families.”
Trump creates ‘quick reaction force’ out of state Guard troops for law enforcement
The 12 soldiers are from the 129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment based in Rapid City. They will serve in a public affairs capacity in the joint information command center.
The mobilization is under the command of the D.C. National Guard and is federally funded, Rhoden said. The initial deployment is expected to last for 30 days.
Trump declared a “crime emergency” in the district on Aug. 11, even though violent crime in the district is at a 30-year low. He mobilized the District of Columbia National Guard, which he is able to do because the district is not a state, to assist local law enforcement this month. Guard troops from West Virginia, Louisiana, Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee and South Carolina also have sent troops to the nation’s capital.
Free DC, a group that advocates for district self-governance, has called the move dictatorial.
“Trump is laying the groundwork to quell all public dissent to his agenda. If he is successful, it would spell the end of American democracy,” the group said. “We refuse to allow that to happen.”
States Newsroom’s D.C. Bureau contributed to this report.