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Tag: National Guard

  • Trump administration federalizing 300 National Guard members in Illinois, White House confirms

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    CHICAGO (WLS) — The Trump administration federalizing 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement on Saturday.

    The White House later confirmed that President Donald Trump has “authorized 300 national guardsmen to protect federal officers and assets” amid ongoing ICE raids in the Chicago area.

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    Pritzker said the Department of War gave him an ultimatum, telling him to call up the troops himself.

    “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said, in part. He said the administration intends to federalize hundreds of National Guard troops “in the coming hours.”

    A White House spokesperson shared a statement with ABC7 Chicago Saturday night, saying, “Amidst ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, that local leaders like Pritzker have refused to step in to quell, President Trump has authorized 300 national guardsmen to protect federal officers and assets. President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities.”

    The announcement came after a federal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Portland for at least 14 days. Oregon’s governor, said in a statement, “justice has been served, and the truth has prevailed.”

    The concern over a deployment of Illinois National Guard members prompted an emergency motion filed by Broadview leaders Saturday. The village is seeking the removal of the fence erected by federal authorities around the ICE facility amid ongoing demonstrations.

    The village has called the fence illegal and a safety hazard, asking for a judge to grant the motion pending a Tuesday hearing on the village’s lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security.

    DHS responded to that motion in its own court filing, saying there’s no need for a hearing before Tuesday, bringing up the possibility of a settlement on Monday.

    RELATED | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates

    Amid the announcement of the federalization of the National Guard in Illinois, confrontations seemed to arise again Saturday in Broadview between demonstrators and Illinois State Police throughout the day.

    “It’s a continuing overreach by the president because the governor is responsible for calling up the troops when they think it’s necessary,” demonstrator Tony DiBenedetto said.

    A crowd of anti-ICE demonstrators cheered on at least four people ABC7 saw detained by Illinois State Police as they were walked into a Cook County Sheriff’s Office van in handcuffs. They were taken down as troopers were clearing the street outside the ICE detention center in Broadview, backing protesters into designated zones, feet from the immigration building and surrounded by concrete barriers. Federal agents were on the other side of the fence with their flying drone above it all.

    “I’m not here to deal with the State Police. I’m here to deal with the kidnapping that ICE is doing, and it’s immensely disappointing that State Police are putting themselves between us and ICE,” demonstrator Will Creutz said.

    Tensions continued throughout the night Saturday between Illinois State Police and demonstrators.

    Federal agents and protesters also clashed at the west suburban Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Friday morning.

    The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said at least five people were arrested during those clashes. They are facing charges such as resisting, obstruction and aggravated battery to a police officer.

    That clash came after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino were seen on the ICE facility’s roof just before 8 a.m. They were accompanied by several armed agents, cameras and a production crew.

    SEE ALSO | Federal agents shoot, injure armed woman in Brighton Park during alleged vehicle ramming, DHS says

    President Donald Trump has previously threatened to send the National Guard to Chicago to combat crime, and even said earlier this week that the city could become a training ground for the military.

    On Monday, Pritzker said he learned that DHS is requesting that 100 military personnel be sent to Illinois to protect ICE agents.

    Full Saturday statement from Pritzker:
    “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.

    In the coming hours, the Trump Administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. They will pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families all to participate in a manufactured performance — not a serious effort the protect public safety. For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control.

    This demand follows unprecedented escalations of aggression against Illinois citizens and residents. Yesterday, Kristi Noem’s and Greg Bovino’s masked agents threw chemical agents near an elementary school, arrested elected officials exercising their First Amendment rights, and raided a Wal-Mart. None of it was in pursuit of justice, but all of it was in pursuit of social media videos.

    I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois. State, county, and local law enforcement have been working together and coordinating to ensure public safety around the Broadview ICE facility, and to protect people’s ability to peacefully exercise their connotational rights. I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people.

    In Illinois, we will do everything within our power to look out for our neighbors, uphold the Constitution, and defend the rule of law.”

    Statement from Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton:
    “Donald Trump intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard and deploy them to Chicago without the consent of Governor Pritzker or our administration. These are Illinoisans who will be ripped away from their families to serve in Trump’s political stunt. We have warned that this has been their plan all along, and now it’s here.

    Our city is not a sandbox for Donald Trump to play dictator. It’s intentional cruelty that will devastate families and scar our communities.

    Let me be clear: the only emergency in Chicago is the chaos that Donald Trump and his administration are deliberately fueling in our streets. Journalists targeted and shot at, peaceful residents dragged from their homes, women and children zip-tied in the streets, families torn apart and stuffed into U-Hauls. This is unacceptable, reprehensible, and not what we stand for in Illinois.

    “I have spent my career working to make communities safer and lead on public safety for our administration. Not a single violence-prevention expert I have worked with has ever said the answer is to flood our neighborhoods with federal troops. This move will only serve to spread fear, escalate conflict, and undermine the trust that keeps communities safe.

    To the people of Illinois: know that Governor Pritzker and I will use every tool at our disposal to defend our city, protect our residents, and resist this reckless, authoritarian power grab.”

    Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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  • Oregon’s Leaders React To Federal Judge Blocking President Trump’s National Guard Order In Oregon – KXL

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    SALEM, Ore. – Oregon’s leaders are reacting to a federal judge’s ruling that temporarily blocks President Trump from sending the Oregon National Guard to Portland.

    Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek responded by calling the decision a validation of her administration’s efforts to resist what she described as “baseless and dangerous federal overreach.”

    “Today’s ruling validates what Oregonians already know: justice has been served, and the truth has prevailed,” Kotek said. “There is no insurrection in Portland. No threat to national security. No fires, no bombs, no fatalities due to civil unrest. The only threat we face is to our democracy — and it is being led by President Donald Trump.”

    Attorney General Dan Rayfield, whose office argued the case in court, echoed the governor’s assessment.

    “The court agreed with our position. Today’s ruling is a healthy check on the president,” Rayfield said. “Members of the Oregon National Guard are not a tool for him to use in his political theater.”

    The legal battle stemmed from Trump’s attempt to send federally controlled National Guard troops to Portland amid ongoing protests. Oregon officials maintained that the deployment was politically motivated and legally unjustified.

    Portland Mayor Keith Wilson had this to say:

    “Today’s outcome is proof that Portlanders’ commitment to peaceful expression and civic unity truly matters,” said Mayor Keith Wilson. “We have not met aggression with aggression. We’ve stood firm, calm and grounded in our shared values and that is why this decision went our way. Portland has shown that peace is power.”

    Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., also applauded the decision, saying it reinforces what many in the state have long asserted.

    “Today’s victory clearly supports what Oregonians already know: we don’t need or want Donald Trump to provoke conflict by deploying federal troops in our state,” Wyden said. “I will keep working with local and state officials to ensure Trump does not keep wasting millions of taxpayer dollars to make Portland the center of his perverse fantasy about conducting assaults on U.S. cities.”

    Kotek concluded her statement by urging Oregonians to remain vigilant and united.

    “Oregon remains united and ready to defend our values and our rights — today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes,” she said.

    The temporary restraining order will remain in effect as the broader legal challenge proceeds.

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  • Trump plans to deploy National Guard in Illinois, governor says

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    The Trump administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Saturday.Related video above: “Full force, if necessary:” Why President Trump is sending troops to Portland, OregonPritzker said the guard received word from the Pentagon in the morning that the troops would be called up. He did not specify when or where they would be deployed, but President Donald Trump has long threatened to send troops to Chicago.“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for additional details. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to questions about Pritzker’s statement.The escalation of federal law enforcement in Illinois follows similar deployments in other parts of the country. Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile Tennessee National Guard troops are expected to help Memphis police.California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued to stop the deployment in Los Angeles and won a temporary block in federal court. The Trump administration has appealed that ruling that the use of the guard was illegal, and a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has indicated that it believes the government is likely to prevail.Pritzker called Trump’s move in Illinois a “manufactured performance” that would pull the state’s National Guard troops away from their families and regular jobs.“For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” said the governor, who also noted that state, county and local law enforcement have been coordinating to ensure the safety of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Broadview facility on the outskirts of Chicago.Federal officials reported the arrests of 13 people protesting Friday near the facility, which has been frequently targeted during the administration’s surge of immigration enforcement this fall.Trump also said last month that he was sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon, calling the city war-ravaged. But local officials have suggested that many of his claims and social media posts appear to rely on images from 2020, when demonstrations and unrest gripped the city following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.City and state officials sued to stop the deployment the next day. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut heard arguments Friday, and a ruling is expected over the weekend.Trump has federalized 200 National Guard troops in Oregon, but so far it does not appear that they have moved into Portland. They have been seen training on the coast in anticipation of a deployment. Associated Press reporter Rebecca Boone contributed.

    The Trump administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Saturday.

    Related video above: “Full force, if necessary:” Why President Trump is sending troops to Portland, Oregon

    Pritzker said the guard received word from the Pentagon in the morning that the troops would be called up. He did not specify when or where they would be deployed, but President Donald Trump has long threatened to send troops to Chicago.

    “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”

    The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for additional details. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to questions about Pritzker’s statement.

    The escalation of federal law enforcement in Illinois follows similar deployments in other parts of the country. Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile Tennessee National Guard troops are expected to help Memphis police.

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued to stop the deployment in Los Angeles and won a temporary block in federal court. The Trump administration has appealed that ruling that the use of the guard was illegal, and a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has indicated that it believes the government is likely to prevail.

    Pritzker called Trump’s move in Illinois a “manufactured performance” that would pull the state’s National Guard troops away from their families and regular jobs.

    “For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” said the governor, who also noted that state, county and local law enforcement have been coordinating to ensure the safety of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Broadview facility on the outskirts of Chicago.

    Federal officials reported the arrests of 13 people protesting Friday near the facility, which has been frequently targeted during the administration’s surge of immigration enforcement this fall.

    Trump also said last month that he was sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon, calling the city war-ravaged. But local officials have suggested that many of his claims and social media posts appear to rely on images from 2020, when demonstrations and unrest gripped the city following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

    City and state officials sued to stop the deployment the next day. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut heard arguments Friday, and a ruling is expected over the weekend.

    Trump has federalized 200 National Guard troops in Oregon, but so far it does not appear that they have moved into Portland. They have been seen training on the coast in anticipation of a deployment.

    Associated Press reporter Rebecca Boone contributed.

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  • Trump administration seeking to federalize 300 Illinois National Guard members, Governor says

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    CHICAGO, Illinois — The Trump administration is looking to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement on Saturday.

    Pritzker said the Department of War gave him an ultimatum, telling him to call up the troops himself.

    “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said, in part. He said the administration intends to federalize hundreds of National Guard troops “in the coming hours.”

    This comes after federal agents and protesters clashed at the west suburban Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Friday morning.

    The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said at least five people were arrested during those clashes. They are facing charges such as resisting, obstruction and aggravated battery to a police officer.

    That clash came after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino were seen on the ICE facility’s roof just before 8 a.m. They were accompanied by several armed agents, cameras and a production crew.

    And Friday night, with helmets and batons, a phalanx of Cook County sheriff’s officers kept demonstrators from blocking the street in a tense standoff, capping a day of protest.

    President Donald Trump has previously threatened to send the National Guard to Chicago to combat crime, and even said earlier this week that the city could become a training ground for the military.

    On Monday, Pritzker said he learned that DHS is requesting that 100 military personnel be sent to Illinois to protect ICE agents.

    ABC7 has reached out to the Trump administration for comment but did not immediately hear back.

    Full statement from Pritzker:
    “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.

    In the coming hours, the Trump Administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. They will pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families all to participate in a manufactured performance — not a serious effort the protect public safety. For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control.

    This demand follows unprecedented escalations of aggression against Illinois citizens and residents. Yesterday, Kristi Noem’s and Greg Bovino’s masked agents threw chemical agents near an elementary school, arrested elected officials exercising their First Amendment rights, and raided a Wal-Mart. None of it was in pursuit of justice, but all of it was in pursuit of social media videos.

    I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois. State, county, and local law enforcement have been working together and coordinating to ensure public safety around the Broadview ICE facility, and to protect people’s ability to peacefully exercise their connotational rights. I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people.

    In Illinois, we will do everything within our power to look out for our neighbors, uphold the Constitution, and defend the rule of law.”

    Statement from Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton:
    “Donald Trump intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard and deploy them to Chicago without the consent of Governor Pritzker or our administration. These are Illinoisans who will be ripped away from their families to serve in Trump’s political stunt. We have warned that this has been their plan all along, and now it’s here.

    Our city is not a sandbox for Donald Trump to play dictator. It’s intentional cruelty that will devastate families and scar our communities.

    Let me be clear: the only emergency in Chicago is the chaos that Donald Trump and his administration are deliberately fueling in our streets. Journalists targeted and shot at, peaceful residents dragged from their homes, women and children zip-tied in the streets, families torn apart and stuffed into U-Hauls. This is unacceptable, reprehensible, and not what we stand for in Illinois.

    “I have spent my career working to make communities safer and lead on public safety for our administration. Not a single violence-prevention expert I have worked with has ever said the answer is to flood our neighborhoods with federal troops. This move will only serve to spread fear, escalate conflict, and undermine the trust that keeps communities safe.

    To the people of Illinois: know that Governor Pritzker and I will use every tool at our disposal to defend our city, protect our residents, and resist this reckless, authoritarian power grab.”

    Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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    WLS

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  • Lyles rebuts calls for National Guard while unveiling new transit safety measures

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    Mayor Vi Lyles rejected calls to mobilize the National Guard in Charlotte on Friday, saying she believes the local community is engaged enough to make the city safer on its own without outside forces.

    “I believe in Charlotte, first and foremost,” Lyles said. “What I believe is, given the time that we have to work with the White House and other federal offices, that we will not need the guard to come to Charlotte.”

    Her comments come on the heels of a critical report from the N.C. State Auditor this week, which found armed security in the public transit system has decreased by about 40% since 2018 despite an increase in security funding and overall personnel.

    Security spending grew from $5.9 million in 2022 to $18.4 million in 2025, according to the report. Officials have not explained the decrease in armed security.

    And the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police issued a letter to city leaders on Thursday requesting intervention from federal law enforcement including the National Guard due to “the ongoing failure of city and police leadership” to address a police staffing shortage and unsustainable crime-fighting strategies.

    Charlotte has been under pressure from state and federal leaders to improve transit safety ever since the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee. Zarutska was killed in an unprovoked attack while riding the Lynx Blue Line light rail in South End on Aug. 22.

    The union said there have been an additional 15 suspected homicides since Zarutska’s death.

    The police union also requested help from Gov. Josh Stein and President Donald Trump, the letter said.

    The National Guard was almost always deployed at the request of a state’s governor before Trump began his second term in office this year. Trump has since sent national troops into Los Angeles without the support of state leadership and has pledged to do the same in Memphis and Portland. Experts question the legality of these actions.

    Lyles joined other city officials during a press conference Friday to talk about new safety measures they are implementing in response. The city unveiled four utility terrain vehicles and four patrol bikes that were rolled out along transit lines this week. The new equipment will improve officer mobility for Professional Security Services, the private security firm contracted to patrol the Charlotte Area Transit System.

    Mayor Vi Lyles speaks during a press conference to announce and detail new security enhancements being implemented throughout CATS Charlotte, N.C., on Friday, October 3, 2025.
    Mayor Vi Lyles speaks during a press conference to announce new security enhancements being implemented throughout the transit system in Charlotte on Friday. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com

    But the press conference came too late, according to the union.

    “Too many lives have already been lost while waiting for action,” the letter reads. “Why has it taken so long to address safety concerns when we have been raising alarms for years?”

    How Charlotte is responding to crime

    About 40% of the city’s general fund is devoted to police, City Manager Marcus Jones said. Fire services account for roughly another 20%.

    Since 2019, the city has increased police starting salary by 34% and increased top-out salary by 42%, Jones said. Charlotte has also added more recruit classes, and both retention and vacancies now “trend in the right direction,” he said.

    The new patrol vehicles follow a string of other improvements the city has already implemented.

    City Council in September voted to expand the jurisdiction of Professional Security Services, which does business as Professional Police Services, beyond city-owned transit property like light rails and stations. The private security officers can now enforce laws and make arrests along the entire rail trail, sidewalks surrounding transit centers and other areas adjacent to transit property.

    CATS also said it ramped up fare enforcement efforts and entered into an agreement with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to deploy off-duty officers for 966 hours per week to assist with transit patrol.

    New modes of transportation announced during a press conference to announce and detail new security enhancements being implemented throughout CATS Charlotte, N.C., on Friday, October 3, 2025.
    New modes of transportation were announced during a press conference on security of Charlotte’s transit system. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com

    Lyles intends to introduce a resolution regarding fare evasion at the next Metropolitan Transit Commission meeting, she said. Lyles chairs the commission, which is the policy board for CATS.

    “No one in Charlotte should feel unsafe about getting to work, school or home to their family,” Lyles said. “Safety has been and will continue to be our top priority.”

    CATS increases security, but decreases armed officers

    The State Auditor’s Office said it “will release a final report after conducting a full review.” Preliminary findings on Tuesday reported CATS armed security personnel shrunk from between 68 and 88 in 2018 to 39 this year.

    City Council approved the new PSS contract in December 2024, which increased security personnel by more than 100% and tripled the amount of funding for transit security, according to CATS. Most of those new personnel are unarmed.

    The Charlotte Observer asked CATS spokesperson Brett Baldeck whether the agency was intentionally shifting away from armed security.

    Baldeck did not directly address the question. In a written statement, he said “armed security guards are just one layer of CATS overall safety and security plan … While not every contracted security guard is armed with a firearm, they receive training for the use of other less-lethal options for de-escalating situations.”

    City Councilman Ed Driggs, chair of the city’s committee on transportation, told the Observer he did not know how the decrease happened. However, a lot of security incidents do not involve weapons, he said.

    “They involve simply having a person that goes over and says to somebody, ‘stop doing that,’ or, ‘come with me, please,’” Driggs said. “I think the experts, the professionals, are making choices about who needs weapons and who doesn’t, and I’m frankly just trusting them.”

    A mural in memory of Iryna Zarutska at the Taoh Outdoor Gallery in Charlotte on Friday.
    A mural in memory of Iryna Zarutska at the Taoh Outdoor Gallery in Charlotte on Friday. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com

    This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 2:53 PM.

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    Nick Sullivan

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    Nick Sullivan covers the City of Charlotte for The Observer. He studied journalism at the University of South Carolina, and he previously covered education for The Arizona Republic and The Colorado Springs Gazette.

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  • Portland City Councilor Encourages National Guard Troops To Disobey – KXL

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    PORTLAND, OR – Calling President Trump’s deployment of Oregon National Guard troops to Portland a dangerous escalation of authoritarianism, District 4 City Councilor Mitch Green, himself a former member of the military, took to social media to encourage those troops to refuse the order.

    “I want to remind you that your oath of service requires you to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, ” Green said. “That oath does not grant the president a right to your absolute obedience. You have not only the right, but the duty to disobey an unlawful order.”

    Green cautioned that the troops assigned to Portland will have to make a difficult choice soon.

    “Comply with deployment orders to occupy an American city or refuse those orders and face the consequences. But know that if you choose to refuse out of a higher sense of duty to the Constitution, that you won’t be alone,” Green promised. “There’s a group called About Face that offers support for service members who request peer or legal support when you make that choice,” he added. “Please know that there is a strong community of service members and veterans here to support you in the fight against fascism and I would encourage you to get in touch with them.”

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  • Louisiana’s governor asks for National Guard deployment to New Orleans and other cities

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    Louisiana’s Republican governor asked for National Guard deployments to New Orleans and other cities, saying Monday that his state needs help fighting crime and praising President Donald Trump’s decision to send troops to Washington and Memphis.Gov. Jeff Landry, a Trump ally, asked for up to 1,000 troops through fiscal year 2026 in a letter sent to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It comes weeks after Trump suggested New Orleans could be one of his next targets for deploying the National Guard to fight crime.Trump also sent troops in recent months to Los Angeles and his administration has announced plans for similar actions in other major cities, including Chicago and Portland, Oregon.Landry said his request “builds on the proven success” of deployments to Washington and Memphis. While Trump has ordered troops into Memphis with the backing of Tennessee’s Republican governor, as of Monday night there had yet to be a large-scale operation in the city.“Federal partnerships in our toughest cities have worked, and now, with the support of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, we are taking the next step by bringing in the National Guard,” Landry said.Leaders in Democratic-controlled states have criticized the planned deployments. In Oregon, elected officials have said troops in Portland are not needed.In his request, Landry said there has been “elevated violent crime rates” in Shreveport, Baton Rouge and New Orleans as well as shortages in local law enforcement. He said the state’s vulnerability to natural disasters made the issue more challenging and that extra support would be especially helpful for major events, including Mardi Gras and college football bowl games.But crime in some of the state’s biggest cities has actually decreased recently, with New Orleans, seeing a particularly steep drop in 2025 that has put it on pace to have its lowest number of killings in more than five decades.Preliminary data from the city police department shows that there have been 75 homicides so far in 2025. That count includes the 14 revelers who were killed on New Year’s Day during a truck attack on Bourbon Street. Last year, there were 124 homicides. In 2023 there were 193.In Baton Rouge, the state capital, has also seen a decrease in homicides compared to last year, according to police department figures. Data also shows, however, that robberies and assaults are on pace to surpass last year’s numbers.___Associated Press reporter Sara Cline contributed to this report.

    Louisiana’s Republican governor asked for National Guard deployments to New Orleans and other cities, saying Monday that his state needs help fighting crime and praising President Donald Trump’s decision to send troops to Washington and Memphis.

    Gov. Jeff Landry, a Trump ally, asked for up to 1,000 troops through fiscal year 2026 in a letter sent to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It comes weeks after Trump suggested New Orleans could be one of his next targets for deploying the National Guard to fight crime.

    Trump also sent troops in recent months to Los Angeles and his administration has announced plans for similar actions in other major cities, including Chicago and Portland, Oregon.

    Landry said his request “builds on the proven success” of deployments to Washington and Memphis. While Trump has ordered troops into Memphis with the backing of Tennessee’s Republican governor, as of Monday night there had yet to be a large-scale operation in the city.

    “Federal partnerships in our toughest cities have worked, and now, with the support of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, we are taking the next step by bringing in the National Guard,” Landry said.

    Leaders in Democratic-controlled states have criticized the planned deployments. In Oregon, elected officials have said troops in Portland are not needed.

    In his request, Landry said there has been “elevated violent crime rates” in Shreveport, Baton Rouge and New Orleans as well as shortages in local law enforcement. He said the state’s vulnerability to natural disasters made the issue more challenging and that extra support would be especially helpful for major events, including Mardi Gras and college football bowl games.

    But crime in some of the state’s biggest cities has actually decreased recently, with New Orleans, seeing a particularly steep drop in 2025 that has put it on pace to have its lowest number of killings in more than five decades.

    Preliminary data from the city police department shows that there have been 75 homicides so far in 2025. That count includes the 14 revelers who were killed on New Year’s Day during a truck attack on Bourbon Street. Last year, there were 124 homicides. In 2023 there were 193.

    In Baton Rouge, the state capital, has also seen a decrease in homicides compared to last year, according to police department figures. Data also shows, however, that robberies and assaults are on pace to surpass last year’s numbers.

    ___

    Associated Press reporter Sara Cline contributed to this report.

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  • Portland Police Bureu Chief Bob Day Addresses Potential Incoming National Guard Trooops – KXL

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    PORTLAND, Ore. — Chief Bob Day did not mince any words when he addressed reporters Monday afternoon on the possibilty of President Trump sending National Guard troops to Portland.  He said, the national narrative simply isn’t correct, and the troops aren’t needed.

    Chief Day held a press conference to discuss the state of the city and the posture of the PPB.  He said they made 2 arrests on Sunday night after a demonstration at the Federal ICE Building along the South Waterfront.  And noted that those are the first arrests they’ve made in connection to demonstrations at that location since mid-July.

    Day said they have grown a great deal since the riots of 2020 and said that they are far better trained, equipped and supported here in 2025 should something arise where crowd control is needed.  He called what’s happening with the President some kind of political move.  And said they would continue with their consistent policies and procedures to protect the citizens and prevent crimes including vandalism by arresting offenders and using their training.

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  • State AG Sues To Block Trump From Sending National Guard to Portland – KXL

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    SALEM, OR – Within hours of learning the Trump administration had federalized the state’s National Guard, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said his office filed for a temporary restraining order in U.S. District Court in Portland to block the action.  The TRO seeks to immediately block the September 28th memorandum from Secretary Hegseth, which federalizes and deploys 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland.

    “The facts are egregious,” said Attorney General Rayfield. “The President’s response to federalize 200 National Guard members for 60 days is not about keeping people safe – it’s about chasing headlines at the expense of our community.”

    The TRO motion highlights:

    • No legal basis for federalization. Under 10 U.S.C. §12406, the Guard may only be federalized in cases of invasion, rebellion, or when federal laws cannot otherwise be executed. None of those conditions exist in Oregon.
    • Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act and 10 U.S.C. §275. Federalized troops may not be used for civilian law enforcement.
    • Tenth Amendment infringement. States hold the constitutional authority to oversee public safety.
    • Political retaliation. Singling out Portland—where recent protests have been small, peaceful, and without arrests—shows the action is a political stunt, not a public safety measure.

    “Putting our own military on our streets is an abuse of power and a disservice to our communities and our service members,” added Attorney General Rayfield. “The Guard is made up of our neighbors and friends, not political props. Oregon is our home — not a military target.”

    More about:


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    Tim Lantz

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  • Trump says he’ll send troops to Portland, Oregon, as he expands military deployments in US cities

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    President Trump said this task force will replicate what is happening on the streets of Washington DC. The president said the goal is to essentially put an end to crime in Memphis and mirror the actions taking place in the nation’s capital. The memorandum President Trump signed on Monday did not include details on when troops would be deployed or exactly what his promised surge in law enforcement efforts would actually look like. Tennessee’s governor embraced the deployment while the mayor of Memphis is not thrilled with the plan. Crime that’s going on not only in Memphis in many cities and we’re gonna take care of all of them step by step just like we did in DC. We’ll have folks without training interacting with our citizenry, and there’s *** chance that that will compromise our due process rights. The president also mentioned he’s still looking to send National Guard troops to more Democratic-led cities like Baltimore, New Orleans, and Saint Louis. In Washington, I’m Rachel Herzheimer.

    Trump says he’ll send troops to Portland, Oregon, as he expands military deployments in US cities

    Updated: 8:43 AM PDT Sep 27, 2025

    Editorial Standards

    President Donald Trump said Saturday he will send troops to Portland, Oregon, “authorizing Full Force, if necessary” to handle “domestic terrorists” as he expands his controversial deployments to more American cities.Related video above: President Trump announces National Guard deployment to MemphisHe made the announcement on social media, writing that he was directing the Department of Defense to “provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland.”Trump said the decision was necessary to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which he described as “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”The White House did not immediately respond to a request for details on Trump’s announcement, such as a timeline for the deployment or what troops would be involved. He previously threatened to send the National Guard into Chicago without following through. A deployment in Memphis, Tennessee, is expected to include only about 150 troops, far fewer than were sent to the District of Columbia for Trump’s crackdown or in Los Angeles in response to immigration protests.Pentagon officials did not immediately respond to requests for information.Since the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Republican president has escalated his efforts to confront what he calls the “radical left,” which he blames for the country’s problems with political violence.He deployed the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in the nation’s capital. The ICE facility in Portland has been the target of frequent demonstrations, sometimes leading to violent clashes. Some federal agents have been injured and several protesters have been charged with assault. When protesters erected a guillotine earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security described it as “unhinged behavior.”Trump, in comments Thursday in the Oval Office, suggested some kind of operation was in the works.“We’re going to get out there and we’re going to do a pretty big number on those people in Portland,” he said, describing them as “professional agitators and anarchists.”Earlier in September, Trump had described living in Portland as “like living in hell” and said he was considering sending in federal troops, as he has recently threatened to do to combat crime in other cities, including Chicago and Baltimore. “Like other mayors across the country, I have not asked for — and do not need — federal intervention,” Portland’s mayor, Keith Wilson, said in a statement after Trump’s threat. Wilson said his city had protected freedom of expression while “addressing occasional violence and property destruction.”In Tennessee, Memphis has been bracing for an influx of National Guard troops, and on Friday, Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who helped coordinate the operation, said they will be part of a surge of resources to fight crime in the city.

    President Donald Trump said Saturday he will send troops to Portland, Oregon, “authorizing Full Force, if necessary” to handle “domestic terrorists” as he expands his controversial deployments to more American cities.

    Related video above: President Trump announces National Guard deployment to Memphis

    He made the announcement on social media, writing that he was directing the Department of Defense to “provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland.”

    Trump said the decision was necessary to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which he described as “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”

    The White House did not immediately respond to a request for details on Trump’s announcement, such as a timeline for the deployment or what troops would be involved. He previously threatened to send the National Guard into Chicago without following through. A deployment in Memphis, Tennessee, is expected to include only about 150 troops, far fewer than were sent to the District of Columbia for Trump’s crackdown or in Los Angeles in response to immigration protests.

    Pentagon officials did not immediately respond to requests for information.

    Since the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Republican president has escalated his efforts to confront what he calls the “radical left,” which he blames for the country’s problems with political violence.

    He deployed the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in the nation’s capital.

    The ICE facility in Portland has been the target of frequent demonstrations, sometimes leading to violent clashes. Some federal agents have been injured and several protesters have been charged with assault. When protesters erected a guillotine earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security described it as “unhinged behavior.”

    Trump, in comments Thursday in the Oval Office, suggested some kind of operation was in the works.

    “We’re going to get out there and we’re going to do a pretty big number on those people in Portland,” he said, describing them as “professional agitators and anarchists.”

    Earlier in September, Trump had described living in Portland as “like living in hell” and said he was considering sending in federal troops, as he has recently threatened to do to combat crime in other cities, including Chicago and Baltimore.

    “Like other mayors across the country, I have not asked for — and do not need — federal intervention,” Portland’s mayor, Keith Wilson, said in a statement after Trump’s threat. Wilson said his city had protected freedom of expression while “addressing occasional violence and property destruction.”

    In Tennessee, Memphis has been bracing for an influx of National Guard troops, and on Friday, Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who helped coordinate the operation, said they will be part of a surge of resources to fight crime in the city.

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  • Trump says he’ll send troops to Portland, Oregon, as he expands military deployments in US cities

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    President Trump said this task force will replicate what is happening on the streets of Washington DC. The president said the goal is to essentially put an end to crime in Memphis and mirror the actions taking place in the nation’s capital. The memorandum President Trump signed on Monday did not include details on when troops would be deployed or exactly what his promised surge in law enforcement efforts would actually look like. Tennessee’s governor embraced the deployment while the mayor of Memphis is not thrilled with the plan. Crime that’s going on not only in Memphis in many cities and we’re gonna take care of all of them step by step just like we did in DC. We’ll have folks without training interacting with our citizenry, and there’s *** chance that that will compromise our due process rights. The president also mentioned he’s still looking to send National Guard troops to more Democratic-led cities like Baltimore, New Orleans, and Saint Louis. In Washington, I’m Rachel Herzheimer.

    Trump says he’ll send troops to Portland, Oregon, as he expands military deployments in US cities

    Updated: 11:02 AM EDT Sep 27, 2025

    Editorial Standards

    President Donald Trump said Saturday he will send troops to Portland, Oregon, “authorizing Full Force, if necessary” to handle “domestic terrorists” as he expands his controversial deployments to more American cities.Related video above: President Trump announces National Guard deployment to MemphisHe made the announcement on social media, writing that he was directing the Department of Defense to “provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland.”Trump said the decision was necessary to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which he described as “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”Since the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Republican president has escalated his efforts to confront what he calls the “radical left,” which he blames for the country’s problems with political violence.He deployed the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in the District of Columbia.The ICE facility in Portland has been the target of frequent demonstrations, sometimes leading to violent clashes. Some federal agents have been injured and several protesters have been charged with assault. When protesters erected a guillotine earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security described it as “unhinged behavior.”Trump, in comments Thursday in the Oval Office, suggested some kind of operation was in the works.“We’re going to get out there and we’re going to do a pretty big number on those people in Portland,” he said, describing them as “professional agitators and anarchists.”Earlier in September, Trump had described living in Portland as “like living in hell” and said he was considering sending in federal troops, as he has recently threatened to do to combat crime in other cities, including Chicago and Baltimore.“Like other mayors across the country, I have not asked for -– and do not need -– federal intervention,” Portland’s mayor, Keith Wilson, said in a statement after Trump’s threat. Wilson said his city had protected freedom of expression while “addressing occasional violence and property destruction.”In Tennessee, Memphis has been bracing for an influx of National Guard troops, and on Friday Republican Gov. Bill Lee said they will be part of a surge of resources to fight crime in the city.

    President Donald Trump said Saturday he will send troops to Portland, Oregon, to handle what he called “domestic terrorists” as he expands his controversial deployments to more American cities.

    Related video above: President Trump announces National Guard deployment to Memphis

    He made the announcement on social media, writing that he was directing the Department of Defense to “provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland.”

    “I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary,” Trump said.

    Trump said the decision was necessary to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which he described as “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”

    Since the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Republican president has escalated his efforts to confront what he calls the “radical left,” which he blames for the country’s problems with political violence.

    Earlier in September, Trump had described living in Portland as “like living in hell” and said he was considering sending in federal troops, as he has recently threatened to do to combat crime in other cities, including Chicago and Baltimore.

    He deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in the District of Columbia.

    In Tennessee, Memphis has been bracing for an influx of National Guard troops, and on Friday Republican Gov. Bill Lee said they will be part of a surge of resources to fight crime in the city.

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  • What Do ICE Raids Teach Kids?

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    Just one day after taking office, President Trump signed an executive order authorizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to resume raids in sensitive locations, including schools and churches. Immigrant rights groups and education advocates immediately sounded the alarm, warning that these policies would have far-reaching consequences, especially for the most vulnerable.

    Now, months later, their warnings have come to pass.

    On June 6, ICE launched military-style raids in California, days after federal authorities deployed the National Guard and hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles, a self-declared sanctuary city. 

    Pew Research Center data shows that 1 in 10 Black Americans is an immigrant. And while much of the public debate has focused on immigration policy writ large, advocates say the impact of the raids creates a climate of fear for immigrant students.

    They “are afraid to leave their homes,” says Dr. Christopher Nellum, executive director of Ed-Trust. “Some parents no longer feel safe taking their children to school.”

    In recent weeks, some immigrant students have skipped graduation. Others aren’t showing up to summer school — not because they don’t want to attend, but because they’re afraid they’ll be detained.

    Immigration raids “are an act of terror against the very communities that fuel our schools, colleges, and way of life,” Nellum says. “Families are being torn apart, students are traumatized, and educators are left reeling. When they are under attack, our educational institutions are under attack.”

    The Toll of Anti-Black Racism and ICE Activity

    Studies from Harvard’s Immigration Initiative show that students from diverse or mixed immigration status families experience higher levels of anxiety, depression, and school disengagement. 

    For Black immigrant students, these challenges are compounded by racial bullying and harassment, racial profiling by teachers, and systemic bias within schools.

    “When a child’s body is coded as both Black and foreign, it is doubly marked,” says Dr. David Kirkland, a New York City-based education scholar and CEO of forwardED. “How do you ‘do school’ under siege? You don’t.”

    Kirkland says we also have to remember that school is more than a building: “It’s a covenant between a society and its children that, for a time, they will be safe enough to wonder, stable enough to grow, and free enough to imagine themselves into being,” he says. “Surveillance — particularly racialized surveillance — shatters this promise.”

    A National Alarm

    While ICE raids drew national attention to Los Angeles, the Trump administration plans to expand enforcement into other cities with large immigrant populations, such as New York City and Chicago. 

    “What you’re seeing happen to Angelenos is happening to your neighbors,” Nellum says. “Los Angeles is not unique — it’s just a harbinger of what we will likely see more of across the nation.”

    Keeping Immigrant Students Safe

    In response to growing concerns among families, the Los Angeles Unified School District introduced several protective measures, including creating “safety zones” on campuses, relocating summer school sites to reduce travel, and offering virtual options. 

    But Nellum says those measures, while important, don’t go far enough.

    “It’s time to go further,” he says. “Expanded access to legal, housing, and mental health support is needed immediately.”

    That’s why Nellum and EdTrust–West, which is based in Oakland, are pushing state lawmakers to pass legislation that would restrict federal agents’ access to schools and student data.

    “Young people must hear, again and again, in as many ways as possible: you belong to our community,” Nellum says. “We care about you and you deserve safety and protection.”

    Kirkland says that beyond policy, schools must work to rebuild trust and create learning environments that address the educational, emotional, and psychological needs of students. 

    “Justice requires a redistribution of power,” Kirkland says. “In this moment, power must be used to shield the vulnerable, amplify the silenced, and repair what fear has broken.”

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    Quintessa Williams, Word in Black

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  • Fiesta DC prepares to entertain as ICE, National Guard concerns still loom large – WTOP News

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    Organizers for the largest Hispanic festival in the D.C. region said while plans to continue the two-day event this weekend remain, some of its workers have expressed concerns for their well-being amid increased federal immigration enforcement and the deployment of the D.C. National Guard.

    WTOP celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month this Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, with stories spotlighting the contributions, culture and accomplishments of Hispanic communities across the D.C. region. 

    Organizers for the largest Hispanic festival in the D.C. region said while plans to continue the two-day event this weekend remain, some of its workers have expressed concerns for their well-being amid increased federal immigration enforcement and the deployment of the National Guard in D.C.

    Maria Patricia Corrales, president of Fiesta D.C., told WTOP all local and federal agencies have approved for the event since January, and no changes have been made to its permit.

    However, she has received feedback from vendors and performers on their safety and security. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have increased the number of arrests they’ve performed nationwide since the start of the second Trump administration. In August, during President Donald Trump’s law enforcement takeover of D.C., more than 40% of arrests made were related to immigration, according to The Associated Press.

    Delegations from all 16 participating countries as well as those who work the event were given the option to opt out due to the current climate, Corrales said. While they have never asked to show documentation of the immigration status of their performers, all delegations have been receiving daily updates on possible security searches.

    “If you have concern of coming out, please do not come,” Corrales said.

    Nationwide ICE concerns comes to DC

    Over the years. Fiesta D.C. has brought thousands of people to Pennsylvania Avenue to celebrate Latino culture through food, live performances and a beauty pageant. It is capped off with a parade featuring traditional outfits and dances from all over Latin America.

    However, the growing number of ICE arrests have made communities locally and nationwide worried of having Hispanic Heritage Month events due to safety concerns. Recently, officials in neighboring Montgomery County, Maryland canceled a Hispanic Heritage Month event in Wheaton, citing concerns for those who would attend amid increased ICE raids. Others have elected to continue their festivities, including the Manassas Latino Festival in Virginia.

    Following the cancellation of Salvadoreñisimo Festival, an annual event in Gaithersburg, Maryland in June, Corrales has insisted that Fiesta D.C. will continue as scheduled. She met with a representative from Homeland Security in August to work on parking logistics for the festival’s performers and has spoken with D.C. police on their permit. However, no discussion on searches or possible raids during the festival were discussed.

    Following the end of the federal takeover of D.C.’s police force, Mayor Muriel Bowser said that the District’s police department would no longer work with ICE as “immigration enforcement is not what MPD does.”

    However, concerns remain.

    National Guard troops are welcomed to come to the festival and enjoy the festivities, Corrales said. However, if random searches need to be executed, she is “praying to god” that the event goes off “as calmly as (it) usually is.”

    “If they feel that they need to come and search the identity of every single (attendee), they will have to do a long, long, long line to do it,” she said.

    ‘I cannot participate this year’

    Many people who’ve worked on Fiesta D.C. in the past have elected not to participate at all this year due to immigration concerns.

    Sulema Pacheco, who handles the Honduran delegation of representatives and performers, told WTOP some people, including those with proper documentation, have elected to stay away and will either support from afar or monetarily through donations.

    “Because of this, some people who have been with us before said, ‘I’m so sorry but I cannot participate this year,’’ she said in Spanish. She later added “We cannot expose people or force them to participate but we cannot show fear.”

    In a normal year, the Honduran delegation would include upward to 20 dancers and several representatives from aboard to form a large group for the festival and parade. This year, she said she expects to have less than half its usual size.

    “It is likely we will have 4 or 5 pairs of dancers performing,” Pacheco said. “That’s if they don’t change their minds at the last minute.”

    Both Pacheco and Corrales confirm that requests have been made by people outside of the festival’s board to cancel the annual festival due to the concerns of possible ICE raids.

    However, Corrales said the show must go on.

    “We understand there is a risk of our community, but we have to embrace every single challenge,” she said.

    As done every year, Fiesta D.C. will highlight a Latin American nation with special events and performances. Honduras will be the highlighted nation with a dancing “marathon” revolving around Punta — the country’s native dance.

    Despite the smaller than usual attendance, Pacheco said all plans for her and the rest of delegation are a go, starting with a beauty pageant on Friday. She calls for the region to support the festival in person by attending to send a message: “we have the right to say and do what we want.”

    “If only 2 or 3 of us go with the Honduran flag, our country will be represented,” Pacheco said.

    WTOP has reached out to Homeland Security’s ICE office and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice for comment.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Jose Umana

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  • Trump Approval Rating on Economy Hits New Low

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    Mr. Tough Guy.
    Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Getty Images

    Donald Trump’s job-approval ratings have been essentially stable for the last couple of months. According to the Silver Bulletin’s polling averages, his net approval rating was at minus-8 percent on July 25 and is at minus-8.4 percent on September 22. Trump’s second-term job-approval averages started at plus-11.7 percent on January 21, went underwater in March, bottomed out in mid-July at minus-10.3 percent, then increased a bit and stayed put. That means Trump is less popular than any post–World War II president at this stage in their presidency, other than himself during his first term. (For comparison, Joe Biden was at minus-2.6 percent at this point.)

    While Trump’s overall approval ratings have stabilized at the moment, there’s some churn beneath the surface in terms of how his performance is judged on specific issues. Again per Silver Bulletin, his net job-approval ratings on the economy have now sunk to a second-term low of minus-15.5 percent. Similarly, assessment of his handling of inflation — arguably the issue that got him elected last year — has steadily deteriorated throughout 2025 and now stands at a terrible minus-30.4 percent. Approval of his job performance on trade dropped to minus-20.2 in April, soon after his imposition of major tariffs on the so-called Liberation Day, and is at minus-18.9 percent now following much erratic conduct on tariffs.

    It’s not so surprising, then, that the 47th president has shifted his emphasis from economic policy to law-and-order issues. His job-approval averages at Silver Bulletin on immigration went underwater in June and now stand at minus-3.4 percent — not great but much better than his standing on most other issues. Pollsters that break out “border control” separately from “immigration” typically find Trump doing much better in that subarea of immigration policy.

    After Trump began talking about an imaginary national crime wave and then federalized law enforcement in the District of Columbia, assessments of his leadership on crime policy began popping up, and it consistently ranks as his second-strongest major issue area, trailing immigration. For example, a September 12–15 Economist/YouGov survey showed him with 42 percent approval and 49 percent disapproval on crime policy, significantly better than his overall job-approval ratio of 39 percent positive and 57 percent negative. Similarly, an September 11–15 AP/NORC survey gave him 46 percent approval and 53 percent disapproval on crime, and just 39 percent approval and 60 percent disapproval overall. Polls with higher overall Trump approval ratios showed the same pattern. A September 6–9 Fox News poll gave the president a relatively benign 50 percent–50 percent rating on “crime and public safety” (second only to border control in approval percentage) alongside a 46 percent approval to 54 percent disapproval in his overall job performance.

    You could argue that the “law and order” issues of immigration and crime work better for Trump than anything related to the economy, including trade, inflation, or health care. It’s not surprising, then, that he’s leaning into such issues. There’s very limited polling on public reaction to his plans for deploying National Guard units and federal law-enforcement assets in urban areas. A September 3–5 CBS News survey shows 43 percent approval and 57 percent disapproval for Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Washington, but it may go over well locally in red states with “blue cities.” Overall, what we have suggests that framing such initiatives as essential for fighting crime would be Trump’s best strategy.

    The president’s latest threat to conduct a “crackdown” on supposed radical-left organizations deemed to have encouraged political violence could also be pitched as a law-and-order measure despite the ominous implications for civil liberties and democratic norms. Such an angle might thrill the GOP’s MAGA base without unduly alarming swing voters, but only if Trump exhibits some uncharacteristic self-control.


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    Ed Kilgore

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  • Did the National Guard lower crime in DC? What data shows before, after Trump sent troops

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    BALTIMORE – The initial phase of President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard to Washington, D.C., wrapped up last week. But how effective were the first 30 days of this mission to get tough on crime?

    The short answer: Fairly effective, at least in terms of reported crime statistics for various criminal offenses in the nation’s capital.

    The Baltimore Sun curated and analyzed datasets comparing the number of reported crimes in D.C. from Aug. 11 to Sept. 9 — the first 30-day period with data available since Trump invoked the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to deploy troops last month — to the previous 30-day period from July 12. The Sun also looked at numbers from the same 30-day periods in 2024, when federal troops were not active in the city.

    The data relies on the District of Columbia Geographic Information System, which classifies crimes based on the D.C. criminal code instead of the national classifications used by the FBI.

    Here are some of the key findings:

    •During the 30 calendar days since Trump deployed the National Guard and federalized D.C.’s police force, the total number of crimes reported dropped by 18% compared to the previous 30-day period.

    •Thefts of — and from inside — motor vehicles saw a considerable drop-off during the first 30 days of the National Guard deployment.

    •D.C. homicides dipped slightly during the start of the mission, but were well below 2024 levels prior to Trump’s intervention.

    Summer crime reductions

    While Trump has consistently exaggerated violent crime statistics in the nation’s capital, D.C. does tend to see persistently high crime during the warmer months — even as violence overall has fallen in recent years.

    In the three periods from July 12 to Aug. 10, 2024, Aug. 11 to Sept. 9, 2024, and July 12 to Aug. 10, 2025, the data shows D.C. saw a total of 2,394, 2,346, and 2,351 crimes reported, respectively. From Aug. 11 to Sept. 9, 2025, that number dropped to 1,926 crimes — a reduction of 18% from both earlier this summer and the same time last year.

    The declines appear to be driven by sharp dropoffs in reported robberies, as well as thefts related to motor vehicles.

    From Aug. 11 to Sept. 9, D.C. reported 34% fewer thefts of motor vehicles compared to the previous 30 days, as the number of thefts dropped from 369 to 243. In 2024, D.C. reported 372 motor vehicle thefts from July 12 to Aug. 10 and 436 motor vehicle thefts from Aug. 11 to Sept. 9.

    For reported thefts of items inside motor vehicles, D.C. saw 411 in the first month of the mission, compared to 578 in the 30 days prior — a nearly 29% reduction.

    The data shows that the number of “other” unclassified thefts dropped from 1,139 to 1,044 in the 30-day periods immediately before and after Trump deployed troops this summer — an 8% reduction. These figures are comparable to 2024 levels across both time periods.

    A spokesman for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, declined to comment when asked how much credit Trump should receive for crime reductions in the city.

    Less clear on homicide, sex abuse

    While the data established considerable drops in reported crime across most categories, the number of homicides and sex crimes reported in D.C. has not followed a clear trend since federal troops entered the city.

    From Aug. 11 to Sept. 9, D.C. reported eight homicides; nine people were killed in the city from July 12 to Aug. 10. This slight decrease seems to be more reflective of broader violence reductions since the summer of 2024, as 21 people were killed last year from July 12 to Aug. 10 and 15 people were killed from Aug. 11 to Sept. 9 in 2024.

    As Trump and other Republican officials pointed out at the time, D.C. went 12 full calendar days without a homicide at the height of the crackdown, from Aug. 14 through Aug. 25. The president touted the period as “the first time that’s taken place in years, actually, years,” though D.C. actually had a longer stretch of 16 calendar days without a homicide in March.

    According to the data, D.C. reported nine instances of “sex abuse” from Aug. 11 to Sept. 9 after seeing just two such cases in the previous 30 days. In 2024, the city saw 13 instances of sex abuse from July 12 to Aug. 10 and six cases from Aug. 11 to Sept. 9, respectively.

    What’s next?

    As Trump plans his crime battles beyond the nation’s capital, his allies in Congress are moving to capitalize on any violence reduction momentum the National Guard’s presence may have created. House Republicans — and some Democrats who signed on — passed two bills this week to overhaul D.C.’s criminal justice system.

    Sponsored by Florida Rep. Bryon Donalds, the D.C. Crimes Act would prohibit local officials from changing sentencing laws and restrict local judges from being more lenient with young offenders. It also would amend the Home Rule Act to stop the D.C. Council from enacting any changes to sentencing laws.

    Another bill, sponsored by Texas Rep. Brandon Gill, H.R. 5140, would allow children as young as 14 to be tried as an adult for certain criminal offenses.

    The D.C. Crimes Act passed 240-179 with support from 31 Democrats, while H.R. 5140 passed 225-203 with support from eight Democrats.

    And with the backing of Tennessee’s Republican governor and senators, Trump also has ordered National Guard troops to address crime in Memphis. Despite having a population just 7.5% larger than Baltimore, Memphis has seen 57% more homicides than Charm City this year.

    The move comes after the president flirted for weeks with deploying troops to Baltimore, Chicago and other major cities in Democratic-run states — meaning the Memphis mission could be a way for Trump to address critics who saw federal troops as a tool for him to punish political opponents.

    ———-

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  • WTOP Answers: Is the federal law enforcement surge decreasing crime in DC? – WTOP News

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    One week after President Donald Trump’s crime emergency declaration in D.C. expired, WTOP’s Kay Perkins breaks down crime data from D.C. police to get to the bottom of the law enforcement surge’s impact on crime in the District.


    Related stories


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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Kay Perkins

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  • President Trump deploys the National Guard to Memphis

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    President Trump said this task force will replicate what is happening on the streets of Washington DC. The president said the goal is to essentially put an end to crime in Memphis and mirror the actions taking place in the nation’s capital. The memorandum President Trump signed on Monday did not include details on when troops would be deployed or exactly what his promised surge in law enforcement efforts would actually look like. Tennessee’s governor embraced the deployment while the mayor of Memphis is not thrilled with the plan. Crime that’s going on not only in Memphis in many cities and we’re gonna take care of all of them step by step just like we did in DC. We’ll have folks without training interacting with our citizenry, and there’s *** chance that that will compromise our due process rights. The president also mentioned he’s still looking to send National Guard troops to more Democratic-led cities like Baltimore, New Orleans, and Saint Louis. In Washington, I’m Rachel Herzheimer.

    President Trump deploys the National Guard to Memphis

    President Donald Trump plans to send National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee, as part of a federal initiative to combat crime, drawing varied responses from local leaders.

    Updated: 4:56 AM PDT Sep 16, 2025

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    President Donald Trump is sending National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee, as part of his efforts to combat crime and illegal immigration.Trump said the task force will replicate what is happening on the streets in Washington, D.C., with the goal of reducing crime in Memphis. “It’s very important because of the crime that’s going on, not only in Memphis, and many cities that we’re going to take care of all of them, Trump said during an Oval Office event with members of his administration, and Tennessee’s governor and two Republican senators. “Step by step, just like we did in DC.” The memorandum President Trump signed on Monday did not specify when the troops would be deployed or detail the nature of the increased law enforcement efforts. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has embraced the deployment, but Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris expressed concerns. “We’ll have folks without training interacting with our citizenry, and there’s a chance that will compromise our due process rights,” Harris said.”I think that the National Guard is a short-term solution, and let’s be honest, these guys, these men and women, have jobs and families just like we do, and they would probably rather not be here as well,” Memphis city council member J. Ford Canale said.The president mentioned that he is still looking to send National Guard troops to more Democratic-led cities, such as New Orleans, Baltimore, and St. Louis.It looked like Chicago was going to be the next city to see troops hit the streets. The administration faced resistance from the Governor of Illinois and other local authorities. On Monday, President Trump insisted Chicago would probably be next to see National Guard troops.Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:

    President Donald Trump is sending National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee, as part of his efforts to combat crime and illegal immigration.

    Trump said the task force will replicate what is happening on the streets in Washington, D.C., with the goal of reducing crime in Memphis.

    “It’s very important because of the crime that’s going on, not only in Memphis, and many cities that we’re going to take care of all of them, Trump said during an Oval Office event with members of his administration, and Tennessee’s governor and two Republican senators. “Step by step, just like we did in DC.”

    The memorandum President Trump signed on Monday did not specify when the troops would be deployed or detail the nature of the increased law enforcement efforts.

    Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has embraced the deployment, but Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris expressed concerns. “We’ll have folks without training interacting with our citizenry, and there’s a chance that will compromise our due process rights,” Harris said.

    “I think that the National Guard is a short-term solution, and let’s be honest, these guys, these men and women, have jobs and families just like we do, and they would probably rather not be here as well,” Memphis city council member J. Ford Canale said.

    The president mentioned that he is still looking to send National Guard troops to more Democratic-led cities, such as New Orleans, Baltimore, and St. Louis.

    It looked like Chicago was going to be the next city to see troops hit the streets. The administration faced resistance from the Governor of Illinois and other local authorities.

    On Monday, President Trump insisted Chicago would probably be next to see National Guard troops.

    Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:

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  • Four ways to reduce crime that are better than Ohio National Guard deployment

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    A passenger takes a photo of members of the National Guard in the Union Station Metro station in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 20, 2025. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)

    When Gov. Mike DeWine decided to send Ohio National Guard members to Washington D.C. to participate in President Trump’s militarized crime crackdown, he took a national issue and made it a state issue. Why he decided to do so is perplexing.

    Ohio’s violent crime rate has hovered between three and four times the violent crime rate of D.C. over the past four years. So the idea that resources should be sent from Ohio to Washington to quell violent urban crime is a strange one.

    But even if DeWine were to deploy national guard troops in Ohio to quell violent crime, is that the way to do it?

    Research out of Brown University finds military policing is not an effective tool for reducing crime rates.

    At best, this sort of approach is a band-aid: long-term military occupation of cities is not a feasible strategy in a democratic country. At worst, it can be a distraction from solutions that actually could reduce crime rates.

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    So what actually could reduce crime rates in Ohio?

    The evidence shows there are strategies that can be used to reduce violent crime.

    One is a suite of strategies called “focused deterrence.”

    Basically this approach amounts to identifying groups like gangs that are responsible for a large share of violence, calling them in and offering services if people leave the gangs, and delivering swift punishment if further violence takes place.

    Meta-analysis of dozens of studies on these techniques show they are effective at reducing crime rates.

    Another is “hot-spot policing,” a strategy that concentrates resources towards geographic areas where crime occurs most often.

    Cost-benefit analysis by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy shows that deployment of one police officer in a hot spot leads to nearly half a million dollars in net social benefits realized in lower property crime rates.

    This amounts to over $5 in social benefits for every $1 in costs.

    A third strategy is more mundane but nonetheless effective: street lighting.

    A randomized controlled trial that placed lighting in New York City housing developments found areas that received lighting saw reductions in index crimes, felony crimes, and to a lesser degree, assault, homicide, and weapons crimes when compared to places that did not receive them.

    Similarly, restoration of vacant lots have been found to lead to reductions in overall crime, gun violence, burglaries, and nuisances.

    Another promising program is targeted cognitive behavioral therapy.

    Whether this is deployed with at-risk youth in conjunction with summer jobs programs or as a part of correctional programs, cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to reduce propensity to commit crime among people who undergo it.

    By giving people control over their own decision-making, they often opt not to take part in criminal activity.

    These are just four approaches that are effective at reducing crime.

    If the governor or federal lawmakers wish to make a dent on crime in major cities, deploying these strategies is the way to do it.

    But I guess these would probably get fewer headlines than what they are doing now.

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  • President Trump Deploys National Guard To Memphis, Calling It A ‘Replica’ Of His Crackdown On Washington – KXL

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Trump has announced the deployment of the National Guard to Memphis to combat crime, testing the limits of presidential power by using military force in cities.

    Trump made Monday’s announcement with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, calling it a “replica” of efforts in Washington.

    Last month, Trump deployed National Guard troops to the nation’s capital, claiming it reduced crime.

    Despite Memphis police reporting decreases in major crime categories, the White House suggested the city’s crime rate is higher than the national average.

    Governor Lee supports the deployment, while Memphis Mayor Paul Young opposes it.

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    Grant McHill

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  • Federal law enforcement surge presses ahead as DC waits for Congress to restore $1B in local funds – WTOP News

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    More National Guard troops are scheduled to arrive this month in D.C. and there are no signs the federal law enforcement surge will end any time soon.

    For all the latest developments in Congress, follow WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller at Today on the Hill.

    More National Guard troops are scheduled to arrive this month in D.C. and there are no signs the federal law enforcement surge will end any time soon, as Congress considers new legislation aimed at reducing crime in the District.

    At the same time, D.C. leaders can’t understand why the U.S. House has failed for months to address a budget glitch that left the District without $1 billion, which could help address public safety.

    “The president and Republicans in Congress intentionally limited D.C.’s ability to spend its own local funds,” said D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, raising the issue at a recent news conference, where she spoke out against the continuing presence of the National Guard in the District.

    Norton said the funding “could have further funded D.C. police, fire and emergency response services and other public safety issues.”

    Mayor Muriel Bower has said the District needs to hire 500 more police officers to get D.C. police to the level she believes is needed.

    Bowser has tried to balance Trump’s demands with the concerns of other D.C. leaders, who feel the president has gone too far in his crime crackdown.

    The president on Monday threatened to call a national emergency if D.C. doesn’t do more to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    Bowser is scheduled to testify Thursday with other D.C. leaders before the House Oversight Committee, which recently advanced several D.C. anticrime bills.

    WTOP recently reached out to Bowser’s office to get her thoughts on the House inaction on the D.C. funding matter.

    A spokesman referred to statements made earlier this year, when the mayor first learned about the problem, which led her to announce a hiring freeze and take several other actions to try to mitigate its impact.

    Could measure to avert government shutdown help DC get its money?

    House Speaker Mike Johnson had indicated earlier this year that the lower chamber would vote on the D.C. matter, after the U.S. Senate approved a measure to take care of the budget glitch. But that never happened.

    The White House, meanwhile, has sent House Republicans a list of things it would like to be addressed in a short-term spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, when funding runs out Sept. 30.

    One of the items — known as funding anomalies — is to restore the $1 billion to D.C. The request would include legislative language so that D.C. “has the authority to spend in FY 2026 funds received from local tax revenues” from its local budget.

    After the Senate took action earlier this year, the president indicated he had no problem with legislative action on behalf of D.C. But many House conservatives didn’t see a need to act on it and Johnson let the matter drop over the summer.

    It remains unclear whether the president’s request will be acted upon in a continuing resolution that House GOP leaders hope to take up later this week.

    Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland urged the House last month to vote on the D.C. budget fix, which he had sponsored in the Senate.

    Federal crime crackdown continues

    As D.C. leaders await word on whether the District will get its money, more National Guard troops are expected to arrive in D.C. any day now. Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has activated 300 National Guard troops.

    They are in addition to 2,300 National Guard personnel from D.C. and six other states. All the states that have sent National Guard units to the District are led by Republican governors.

    House Republicans, meanwhile, hope to approve several D.C. crime bills this week. One would allow those charged with some violent crimes at the age of 14 to be tried as adults. Another would make a change so that those over the age of 18 could not be treated as juveniles in connection with their punishment.

    The legislation also includes a bill that would loosen current restrictions on D.C. police carrying out vehicular chases of criminal suspects.

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    Mitchell Miller

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