ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday that he is sending 316 members of the Georgia National Guard to Washington, D.C., to support President Donald Trump’s use of troops to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital.
The Georgia Guard contingent heading to Washington will include 300 soldiers and 16 support staff.
“Georgia is proud to stand with the Trump administration in its mission to ensure the security and beauty of our nation’s capital,” Kemp said. “We share a commitment to upholding public safety and are grateful to these brave Guardsmen and women, for the families that support them, and for their dedication to service above self.
“As they have demonstrated again and again, our Georgia Guard is well equipped to fulfill both this mission and its obligations to the people of our state.”
With Kemp’s announcement, Georgia becomes the eighth state to deploy more than 2,200 Guardsmen from around the nation to provide a visible presence in support of local law enforcement in Washington. All eight are led by Republican governors.
Trump issued an executive order last month declaring a crime emergency in the District of Columbia, which has prompted criticism from Democrats who argue violent crime rates are higher in other cities that have not drawn the president’s attention and that using the military to police U.S. civilians is illegal.
“The uniform should never be used to intimidate and divide but to protect and serve,” said state Sen. Kenya Wicks, D-Fayetteville, one of several military veterans in the General Assembly who spoke out against the deployment Friday at a news conference inside the state Capitol. “Not only is it unconstitutional. It is a violation of the oath Guard members are sworn to uphold.”
“This is not about public safety,” added state Rep. Eric Bell, D-Jonesboro. “It’s an erosion of American freedom.”
Kemp said Friday that sending Georgia National Guard troops to Washington is a separate mission from his decision late last month to deploy about 75 soldiers and airmen to help support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations across Georgia.
The 300 Georgia Guard troops heading to Washington will relieve service members who have been stationed in the District of Columbia from the start of the mission. They are scheduled to mobilize by the middle of this month and will be on active duty in Washington shortly thereafter, barring any changes to the schedule that may arise.
The 16 support staff personnel were sent earlier this week to Joint Base Anacostia-Boiling in Washington where they will work with other military personnel providing support for the broader mission. They are not expected to have any direct interaction with civilians.