BATON ROUGE — Gov. Jeff Landry has approved sending 135 members of the Louisiana National Guard to Washington, D.C., in support of President Donald Trump’s takeover of the city’s police department.
More than 1,000 National Guard soldiers from multiple states have been directed to the nation’s capital since Trump declared a “crime emergency” there, despite its violent crime rate reaching a 30-year low.
“We are a nation of law and order. Our capital is a reflection of our nation’s respect, beauty, and standards,” Landry wrote Monday in a social media post. “We cannot allow our cities to be overcome by violence and lawlessness. I am proud to support this mission to return safety and sanity to Washington DC and cities all across our country, including right here in Louisiana.”
The governor did not indicate how long Louisiana’s guard members will be deployed. The part-time soldiers typically hold separate full-time jobs they must leave behind when on assignment.
In addition Louisiana, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves will send 200 of his National Guard members to Washington; Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will send 150 members his state’s National Guard; South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster approved 200 members; and West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey will send up to 400 National Guard members.
In addition to deploying the National Guard to Washington, Trump has leaned on the district’s Home Rule Act to have the 3,400-person Metropolitan Police Force assist in immigration enforcement.
Trump’s emergency order expires in about three weeks, but he has said he intends to extend it and ask Congress to pay for the effort.
Editor’s Note: The following article from author Greg LaRose was originally published by the Louisiana Illuminator, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization with a mission to cast light on how decisions in Baton Rouge are made and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians.
Read more from The Louisiana Illuminator @ www.lailluminator.com
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