National Guard expands patrols to DC Metro stations amid crime crackdown

National Guard expands patrols to DC Metro stations

National Guard troops are now patrolling several Metro stations across the District as part of an expanded federal crime crackdown.

WASHINGTON - National Guard troops are now patrolling several Metro stations across the District as part of an expanded federal crime crackdown.

The move comes as additional states send troops to support the Trump administration’s "D.C. Safe and Beautiful" task force. Republican governors in West Virginia, Ohio, Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana are deploying up to 1,000 troops to assist with monument security, traffic control, and federal facility protection.

READ MORE: 750 additional National Guard troops headed to DC amid Trump takeover

Guard expands patrols

A spokesperson for Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee confirmed the state’s Guard members are "ready to assist as long as needed."

The mission now includes Metro stations, with Guard members seen interacting with riders and Metro Transit Police at L’Enfant Plaza, Metro Center, Gallery Place, and Union Station, four of the 10 stations now under federal patrol. D.C.’s Metrorail system has 98 stations in total.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said the Guard’s role should remain limited to support. "They can’t do law enforcement, as far as I know," she said Monday. "That is not what I have been advised, and unless their orders have somehow changed, I don’t know that they can engage in arrests."

States send reinforcements

Federal officers, however, are authorized to make arrests. Attorney General Pam Bondi said more than 400 people have been detained since the surge began, including 135 individuals reportedly in the country illegally.

Bowser has also raised concerns about federal officers wearing masks and failing to identify themselves, a practice that has unsettled some residents and visitors.

As for whether Guard members will be armed, the D.C. National Guard said troops "may be armed consistent with their mission and training," but offered no further details, according to the Associated Press.

READ MORE: West Virginia National Guard to deploy to DC to support Trump's federal takeover