Georgia sends troops to DC in sign that Trump's policing push will continue

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ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday that he’s sending 316 members of the state's National Guard to Washington, D.C., later this month in the latest indication that President Donald Trump’s law enforcement operation in the nation’s capital will drag on.

The Republican Kemp said he will mobilize the roughly 300 troops in mid-September to take part in Trump’s D.C. operation to relieve soldiers from elsewhere who deployed earlier.

“Georgia is proud to stand with the Trump administration in its mission to ensure the security and beauty of our nation’s capital,” Kemp said in a statement.

Trump initially called up 800 members of the District of Columbia National Guard to assist federal law enforcement in his bid to crack down on crime, homelessness and illegal immigration. Since then, seven other Republican-led states have sent troops — Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Kemp said Georgia’s soldiers may be armed and will support law enforcement. Kemp said he already sent 16 soldiers this week to Washington in support roles that won't involve policing.

Trump last month took over the district’s local police department and deployed the National Guard in what he said was meant to fight crime. Earlier this week, members of the D.C. National Guard had their orders extended through December, another sign that their role will not wind down soon.

The District of Columbia on Thursday challenged President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard in Washington, asking a federal court to intervene even as he plans to send troops to other cities in the name of driving down crime.

Brian Schwalb, the district’s elected attorney general, said in a lawsuit that the deployment, which now involves more than 1,000 troops, is an illegal use of the military for domestic law enforcement.

“No American jurisdiction should be involuntarily subjected to military occupation,” Schwalb wrote.

The White House said deploying the Guard to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement is within Trump’s authority as president.

Kemp announced last month that he would mobilize 75 Georgia National Guard soldiers and airmen to provide administrative and logistical support to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at locations in Georgia, although those soldiers won’t be conducting law enforcement or making arrests. Georgia is one of 11 states where the guard will be helping ICE.

Some Democratic state lawmakers attacked the use of the National Guard as illegal and unconstitutional in a Friday news conference at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta.

“The threat before us is not just from foreign shores, but from within — a reckless deployment of the National Guard against fellow American citizens,” said state Rep. Eric Bell, an Jonesboro Democrat and former U.S. Navy officer. “Make no mistake, this is not about public safety. It's the erosion of American freedom and sovereignty.”

Kemp, the current chair of the Republican Governors Association, has for years been sending Georgia guard members to the Mexican border in Texas to support border enforcement there.

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