More Than a Year Later, National Guard Troops Still Patrol D.C. as ACLU Demands Their Exit

September 3, 2026

The ACLU and its affiliates nationwide are demanding the withdrawal of National Guard troops who have been deployed in Washington, D.C. for over a year, arguing their presence normalizes military occupation in civilian spaces without justification. Following President Trump's August 2025 deployment order, thousands of Guard members from multiple states have patrolled D.C. neighborhoods, with the Pentagon planning to continue operations through January 2029 at a projected cost of $1. 4 billion.

Who is affected

Washington, D.C. residents living in neighborhoods where troops patrol
National Guard members from 15 states and the District (nearly 9,700 rotated through during the first year)
Anna King, a combat veteran who alleges she was detained and injured by Guard members on her property
Families and employers of deployed Guard members
States including West Virginia (dealing with natural disasters while troops are deployed elsewhere)
Taxpayers (facing $1.4 billion in projected costs through January 2029)
Governors of states whose National Guard troops have been deployed

What action is being taken

The D.C. National Guard has 3,780 personnel assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia as of September 1
More than 300 troops from four states remain deployed following summer events
Guard members are responding to medical emergencies, administering Narcan for overdoses, reuniting lost children with families, breaking up fights, and assisting law enforcement
The ACLU and its affiliates are calling for remaining out-of-state Guard members to be sent home
A federal government appeal is proceeding after lower court rulings found the deployment unlawful
ACLU-D.C. is pursuing a legal claim on behalf of Anna King regarding her alleged detention and injury

Why it matters

The extended military deployment in Washington represents a significant erosion of the traditional separation between civilian life and military power in American society. The presence of armed troops normalizes what the ACLU characterizes as military occupation in a U.S. city without a declared emergency or consent from local residents. This situation highlights D.C.'s unique political vulnerability—unlike states with governors who can reject federal Guard deployment requests, the District's locally elected government has no control over the D.C. National Guard, which answers directly to the president. The deployment also strains other states by removing Guard personnel who might be needed for natural disasters and separating them from jobs and families, while research suggests minimal impact on violent crime despite enormous costs.

What's next

The Pentagon plans to continue the Guard operation through the remainder of Trump's presidency (through January 2029)
The federal government's appeal of the district court ruling is proceeding through the appeals court
The ACLU's legal claim on behalf of Anna King is ongoing

Read full article from source: The Washington Informer