National Guard has done little to reduce violent crime in D.C., a new study finds

National Guard members stand watch near the Lincoln Memorial on the morning of Memorial Day in Washington, DC, May 25, 2026. Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

President Trump's deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. has reduced petty property crimes, but has had little to no effect on violent crime, despite the high cost to taxpayers, according to a new analysis from the nonpartisan think tank Niskanen Center .

The study's findings were published just weeks after federal officials announced that the number of troops in D.C. is set to double this summer to 5,000 as part of a "summer surge" of law enforcement ahead of events planned for America's 250th birthday celebration.

Trump deployed the National Guard to D.C. last August , as part of the administration's Safe and Beautiful Task Force, which he said was an effort to reduce crime and beautify the city. The task force includes hundreds of federal law enforcement — including immigration enforcement — working in conjunction with local police. It's an approach that Trump previously said he wants to carry out in "many cities," and already has in places like Memphis and New Orleans.

There are currently around 2,800 National Guard members deployed to D.C. from both the city itself and about a dozen other states, all of which have Republican governors. In contrast to other controversial National Guard deployments by Trump during his second term, the president has the authority over the Guard in D.C.

Guard members do not legally have the power to carry out arrests, but can detain individuals.

Troops — many of whom are armed — are largely carrying out what are called "high visibility patrols" to make their presence known around federal property and in residential areas, parks and city metro stations in an effort to free up D.C. police to redeploy to higher-crime areas. The report found that generally hasn't happened.

Instead, researchers found that the deployment led to a 24% drop in "opportunistic" crimes — like property crimes and vehicle break-ins. But the presence of the Guard had no effect on violent crimes, including robberies, which were already on a downward trend before Trump came back into office.