The Republican governors of West Virginia and South Carolina are deploying hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., at the request of the administration of President Donald Trump, who has portrayed the nation's capital as awash in crime.

West Virginia is sending 300 to 400 members of its National Guard to the nation's capital to assist in the Trump’s administration’s takeover of the city's police department.

Justice Department data, however, showed violent crime in 2024 hit a 30-year low in Washington, a self-governing federal district under the jurisdiction of Congress.