Minnesota Pulls National Guard From DC as Pressure Mounts on Michigan
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has ordered the early withdrawal of his state’s National Guard troops from Washington, D.C., after activists documented guard members conducting armed patrols in residential and commercial neighborhoods far from the National Mall — contradicting the governor’s explicit orders that they be used only for America 250 celebrations. The decision has intensified political pressure on Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to similarly recall her state’s 162 troops, who remain deployed through Aug. 31.
Background: The D.C. Safe and Beautiful Mission
The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of President Trump’s ongoing “D.C. Safe and Beautiful” mission, a federal task force that has deployed thousands of National Guard troops to the capital since August 2025. According to NPR, 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 costs upwards of $3 million per day, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Constitutional experts, civil rights groups, and a growing coalition of Democratic governors, D.C. Council members, and former senior military officials have sharply criticized the deployment. The Department of the Interior announced that the mission has been extended through Jan. 20, 2029, or until terminated by the president, as WTOP reported.
Minnesota’s Decision to Withdraw
Minnesota sent more than 100 guard members to D.C. ahead of the America 250 celebrations — the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Walz, a former Army National Guard command sergeant major, gave specific orders that troops would be used only for those events near the national monuments. The troops had originally been assigned through July 23.
But within days, activists from the group Free D.C. documented Minnesota guard members conducting armed presence patrols in neighborhoods far from the National Mall. In videos authenticated by NPR, guard members who identified themselves as from Minnesota said they were unsure how far the America 250 celebrations were from their location. 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.
Michigan Under Pressure
Michigan has 162 troops deployed in D.C., due to continue through Aug. 31. Gov. Whitmer sent a strongly worded letter to the head of Michigan’s National Guard on June 29, threatening to pull troops if there are more reports of them being used in ongoing law enforcement operations, as NPR reported.
Pressure has been mounting from multiple directions. All 13 members of the D.C. City Council signed a letter to Whitmer calling on her to bring Michigan troops home early, citing concerns about “mission creep, militarization of civilian spaces, and the erosion of local democratic control,” according to WTOP. The Brennan Center for Justice and more than two dozen other organizations sent a coalition letter urging the same. Nineteen former senior military officials also sent a joint letter to all governors who have yet to send troops to D.C., urging them not to, saying the situation is “fundamentally different” from past celebrations.
The Challenge of State Control
State National Guard troops in D.C. operate under Title 32 status — federally funded but still under the control of their respective governors. However, former National Guard officials say it’s impractical for states to play a role in day-to-day activities in a complex national mission. All state National Guard troops on the Joint Task Force list have been deputized as special police by the U.S. Marshals Service and issued firearms.
Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of Liberty and National Security at the Brennan Center for Justice, told NPR: “They were fundamentally trusting the Trump administration to respect those lines, and I think that was a mistake. 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.”
Broader Implications
Six Democratic-led states — Minnesota, Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan, Maryland, and Hawaii — sent troops to D.C. with orders to assist only with America 250 celebrations. This was the first time troops from Democratic-led states had been sent to Washington since Trump launched his federal task force. 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. Maryland’s troops, who were in D.C. for a brief window, are returning at the end of the week.
Former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, one of 19 signatories to the letter to governors, warned: “I think, frankly, that the American people are being desensitized to the presence of armed, uniformed people on their streets.”
What’s Next
Gov. Whitmer now faces a politically difficult decision. Withdrawing could strain relations with the Trump administration; not withdrawing could alienate her progressive base. Hawaii’s troops, which only arrived in recent days, could stay up to 90 days. The question remains whether other Democratic-led states will follow Minnesota’s lead — and how the Trump administration will respond if they do.
The D.C. deployment is part of a broader pattern of National Guard deployments to Democratic-led cities during the second Trump administration. A Niskanen Center study found the deployment reduced petty property crimes but had little effect on violent crime, while costing approximately $602 million annually — comparable to the entire budget of the Metropolitan Police Department.