Administration

DOJ requests 1,500 more National Guard troops for planned DC ‘summer surge’

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by Ellen Mitchell - 05/15/26 4:07 PM ET

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by Ellen Mitchell - 05/15/26 4:07 PM ET

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The Trump administration wants another 1,500 National Guard troops deployed to the streets of Washington part of a “summer surge” of law enforcement to the nation’s capital ahead of America’s 250th birthday, Justice Department officials announced Friday.

U.S. ⁠Marshals Service Director Gadyaces &zwnj;Serralta said he requested the extra National Guard troops to grow their presence around the city in anticipation of a surge in visitors for events planned around the Fourth of July.

“They will continue to provide presence for high visibility and support across the district, so law enforcement can focus on their duties,” Serralta said at a press conference flanked by other Department of Justice (DOJ) officials. “High visibility presence reduces response times to crime, provides support to law enforcement on scene and keeps officers and civilians safe.”

The additional 1,500 guard members will push the number of such service members patrolling Washington to 5,000.

The surge would also include “more U.S. park police on foot in vehicles and on horseback through D.C.,” as well as resources from the FBI, U.S. Marshals and other agencies, Serralta added.

National Guard troops have been deployed in Washington since late summer, when the federal government ⁠temporarily took over D.C. law enforcement through &zwnj;presidential executive order and announced the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force.

The Trump administration deployed an additional 500 soldiers in the city after two National Guard members were shot blocks from the White House in late November.

The increase of troops in the city is not likely to go over well with local officials, who were not in attendance at the announcement and have said the deployment is unnecessary.

Asked why D.C. government and police officials weren’t consulted in advance of his request, Serralta said, “This is the president’s task force,” adding that local officials were invited to attend the press conference but chose not to.

Democratic lawmakers are also unlikely to be pleased, as they have pointed to the deployments as costly, lacking a clear strategy and largely unhelpful given guardsmen patrol neighborhoods and tourist centers that typically have lower crime in the city.

Democratic Sens. Andy Kim (N.J.) and Gary Peters (Mich.) in February released a report estimating that Washington’s National Guard deployment is costing the federal government $1.65 million per day. That means a price tag of just more than $450 million since deployments began in August.

The Pentagon is planning to maintain the National Guard’s presence in Washington until Jan. 20, 2029 — through the rest of President Trump’s second term.

The DOJ is taking other measures to crack down on crime ahead of July celebrations, with plans to prosecute the parents of teenagers who break curfew, according to Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in D.C.

She pointed to “teen takeovers,” in which large crowds of young people gather in popular areas of the city, such as Navy Yard, U Street and NoMa.

“These takeovers have terrorized our neighborhoods, they have shut down businesses, and they have wasted hard-earned tax dollars of law-abiding residents who just want to live and work in peace,” Pirro said, adding that the takeovers “often lead to disorderly conduct, assault, robberies and fights.”

Her office can’t prosecute juveniles unless they are tried as adults for certain violent crimes, with most crime committed by underage people prosecuted by the local D.C. attorney general.

“Parents, if you don’t control your kids, the District will,” Pirro said.

Washington already has a general 11 p.m. curfew for minors on weeknights and a midnight curfew on weekends.

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