National Guard forces are now patrolling in Memphis, Tennessee. While the specifics on troop numbers are yet to be revealed, Republican Governor Bill Lee told the Daily Memphian on Tuesday that he did not think there would be more than 150 National Guard personnel deployed. This is a preliminary figure.
Alongside Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, this now brings the number of U.S. cities with National Guard troops on their streets to three. Meanwhile, judges have blocked U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to send troops to Portland, Oregon and Chicago. Trump argues that the patrols are needed to combat crime, support immigration agents and protect federal property, but critics warn that the pattern of these deployments combined with the increase in federal immigration raids and operations has "blurred the lines" between traditional law enforcement, immigration enforcement and the role of the National Guard.
National Guard troops can be mobilized and sent to different states, as has been the case with Washington D.C. In addition to the 800 troops deployed locally from D.C., a further 160 were sent from Tennessee, 200 were sent from Mississippi, 135 were sent from Louisiana, 200 from South Carolina, 150 from Ohio, around 300 from Georgia, 300 to 400 from West Virginia and 12 from South Dakota. Some outlets have also reported a presence of National Guard troops from Alabama in the capital, although no numbers were specified.
In the greater Chicago area, around 200 troops from Texas and 300 from Illinois were activated earlier this month, set to be mobilized for an initial 60 days. However, a court ruling on October 9 blocked the deployment.
In June, some 4,100 soldiers from the California National Guard were deployed in Los Angeles, alongside approximately 700 U.S. Marines. As of September, 300 guard personnel remained on duty.
On September 27, the Trump administration had further sought to deploy 200 National Guard from Oregon to Portland, calling the city “war ravaged”. This move was blocked by a judge, however, as was a subsequent attempt to send 200 National Guard troops to Portland from California.
