National Guard members deployed in Washington often appeared uncertain about their duties, describing themselves as the president's patrol, walking, smiling, and waving. President Donald Trump's decision to federalize parts of the District prompted intense coverage, criticism, fear, and some muted praise from residents. More than two weeks after the deployment, thousands of soldiers remain stationed throughout the city during the transition from summer to fall. The stated mission is to stop violent crime, but many fear Washington is a test case and blueprint for nationwide use of the Guard as a paramilitary police force to condition acceptance of authoritarianism. Federalization also involves hundreds of agents from agencies such as the FBI and DEA, immigration officers empowered to detain undocumented people, and assertion of presidential control over the D.C. police force. Social media has been flooded with alarming videos.
Even the men and women of the National Guard seemed flummoxed, at times, over what exactly they were supposed to be doing in the nation's capital. "We're the president's patrol, ma'am," one trio from South Carolina told us when we spotted them along the waterfront and asked what they were up to. "Just walkin' around," replied another gaggle-also strolling along the Potomac. "Smiling and waving," a third group, up from West Virginia and stationed along the National Mall, told us.
More than two weeks later, soldiers are still deployed throughout the city, a physical presence amid the capital's greenery as summer fades into fall. Their mission is ostensibly to stop violent crime, but many here and beyond fear that Washington is being used as a test case-the blueprint for Trump to deploy the National Guard across the country as a paramilitary police force-and that Americans are being conditioned to accept authoritarianism.
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