WASHINGTON, D.C. – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is pulling his National Guard members from Washington, D.C. early, after they were seen on presence patrols in neighborhoods far from the National Mall, similar to what many of the troops assigned to President Trump's ongoing federal Joint Task Force have been doing in the city for nearly a year.
Gov. Walz sent his guard members to D.C. ahead of the official America 250 celebrations with specific orders that they would be used only to help with those events near the national monuments.
Democratic governors from Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan, Maryland and Hawaii also sent troops with similar orders in recent weeks. It was the first time troops from Democratic-led states had been sent to Washington since Trump launched his task force.
Thousands of armed National Guard troops from nearly two dozen states have been patrolling residential and commercial neighborhoods for months. Trump deployed the National Guard to D.C. in August of 2025 as part of a federal task force to fight crime and beautify the city, although crime was already trending down. Constitutional and legal experts, as well as activists, have sharply criticized the deployment as an anti-Democratic use of the U.S. military.
D.C. "summer surge"
The number of troops in the city has doubled to more than 5,100 over the past month, as federal officials announced a "summer surge" of law enforcement help. The deployment now costs upwards of $3 million per day, according to an estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Democratic governors who have sent troops have insisted that their guard members are not part of that law enforcement mission, although the D.C. Joint Task Force lists them on its public-facing website, albeit with a denotation that they are in town for America 250. All state National Guard troops on that list have been deputized as special police by the U.S. Marshals Service and issued a firearm, according to the Joint Task Force.
All six Democratic-led states have been clear about their opposition to the Trump administration's ongoing, widespread use of the National Guard in the city.
"They were fundamentally trusting the Trump administration to respect those lines, and I think that was a mistake," says Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of Liberty and National Security at the Brennan Center, which recently penned a letter along with a coalition of more than two dozen other think tanks and civic, labor and civil rights groups to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urging her to also end the deployment of her state's guard members.
"No matter what limits they try to draw, as a practical matter, the governors are not there on the ground and are not giving the orders," Goitien says.
State National Guard troops are in D.C. are under Title 32 status, meaning they are funded by the federal government but still under the control of their respective governors. But former National Guard officials say it's impractical for states to play a role in day-to-day activities in a complex national mission like what's happening in D.C.
Activists have documented guard members far from America 250
Michigan and Minnesota both sent more than 100 guard members to D.C. ahead of the America 250 celebrations. Within days, activists from the group Free D.C. had spotted guard members who identified themselves as from both those states far from the National Mall, armed with handguns. Free D.C. is also one of the organizations that signed the letter to Gov. Whitmer.
In videos of both incidents — which NPR has authenticated — guard members say they are unsure how far the America 250 celebrations are from their location.
It was several days after those videos surfaced that Minnesota decided to end its deployment early.
Gov. Walz's office confirmed to NPR that when it became clear that members of their guard were being used on presence patrols in other neighborhoods the decision was made to pull them out. The troops had originally been assigned to D.C. until July 23.
A single Kentucky Guard member was brought home before the main events began after being diverted to the task force "without the knowledge or consent" of the state's governor or its Guard command, said Scottie Ellis, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's communications director.
The D.C. Joint Task Force did not respond to questions about troops' specific activities in the city, but did say that guard members sent for the mission of America 250 celebrations would not have their mission changed.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's office also confirmed to NPR that his state's guard members — who were only in D.C for a brief window surrounding the celebrations — would be returning to the state at the end of the week.
Increasing pressure on Michigan
As other Democratic-led states have also made it clear they are leaving D.C., pressure has been increasing on Michigan Gov. Whitmer to make a similar call.
Michigan's deployment of 162 troops is due to continue through Aug. 31.
In a strongly worded letter sent to the head of Michigan's National Guard last week, Whitmer threatened to pull her guard members out if there are more reports of the Michigan guard being used in the ongoing law enforcement operations.
But a growing chorus — including a letter sent this week, signed by all 13 members of the D.C. city council — has been calling on Whitmer to bring her troops out early.
"The continued deployment of out-of-state Guard personnel after these events, in addition to the Joint Task Force's use of Guard personnel to conduct patrols in District neighborhoods, outside the scope of event-specific security, raises serious concerns about mission creep, militarization of civilian spaces, and the erosion of local democratic control," the letter reads.
Whitmer's office did not immediately provide a response to NPR about that letter, or the letter from the coalition of organizations.
Former military leaders urge other governors to stay out
Members of Hawaii's National Guard only arrived in D.C. in recent days — after the Fourth of July holiday. A spokesperson for the Hawaii National Guard told NPR they were under orders to only participate in America 250 proceedings, but also said the deployment could last up to 90 days.
Last week, 19 former senior military officials sent a joint letter to all governors who have yet to send troops to D.C. — including Hawaii — urging them not to, saying that the situation in the city right now is "fundamentally different" from past celebrations.
"Under normal circumstances, sending some guard troops to help with Fourth of July celebrations wouldn't be that big of a deal," says former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, one of the signatories of that letter.
But he finds the sheer number of troops in the city very concerning.
"I think, frankly, that the American people are being desensitized to the presence of armed, uniformed people on their streets," he says.
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