What to know about Trump threat to deploy National Guard troops in U.S. cities
President Donald Trump is threatening to send National Guard troops into major American cities, including New York, to quell violence and potential civil disturbances.
But Gov. Kathy Hochul and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch have argued that deploying the National Guard — as Trump did in Washington, D.C., after declaring a "crime emergency" — in New York is unnecessary.
Here's everything you need to know about what Trump is considering, and what city and state officials could do to stop him.
What is the National Guard and what do they typically do?
The National Guard is the primary combat reserve of the Army and Air Force, comprising more than 430,000 civilian soldiers who can respond to both domestic crises, such as natural disasters, and overseas conflicts, such as Afghanistan.
The majority of National Guard members serve in the states in which they live, often in a part-time role, generally while holding civilian jobs or attending school.
National Guard units are typically activated by the governors of their respective states to respond to state-level emergencies. But in certain cases — such as their recent deployment in California in response to immigration protests — they can be federalized by the president.
The Washington, D.C., National Guard, which was deployed this month to reduce crime, patrol national monuments and to beautify the district, is solely under federal control. That deployment comes from D.C. and six GOP-led states: Louisiana, Ohio, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Do National Guard members carry weapons and can they make arrests?
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an order this month, allowing Guard members deployed to D.C. to carry service-issued weapons, including M17 pistols and M4 rifles.
While they will not conduct arrests, Guardsmen have the authority to temporarily detain individuals until other law enforcement arrive, Defense officials said.
What has Trump suggested about federalizing National Guard troops in New York and other Democratic-led cities?
Trump said he's considering sending National Guard troops to major U.S. cities that he contends, often in the face of evidence to the contrary, have uncontrollable violence.
"You look at Chicago, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is," Trump said this month. "We have other cities that are very bad. New York has a problem. And then you have, of course, Baltimore and Oakland."
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order formalizing a specialized unit within the D.C. National Guard "dedicated to ensuring public safety and order in the nation’s capital" and directing each state’s Army National Guard and Air National Guard units to be trained, organized and be ready to be deployed to quell "civil disturbances."
What do New York officials think of Trump's suggestion that he could deploy National Guard troops to patrol the streets of the Big Apple?
During a news conference Tuesday, Hochul told reporters that she'd recently spoken with Trump to argue against a National Guard deployment.
"I said 'Mr. President, I can give you all the data you need to show that crime is down,' " said Hochul, who in 2024 deployed the National Guard to patrol the city subways during a crime wave. "It's working. Our policies are working. NYPD is doing their job."
A Hochul spokesman Thursday declined to say how the governor would respond if Trump deployed the Guard.
On Monday, Tisch told U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi there was no need for the administration to send the National Guard to New York.
"I don't see the need for it," Mayor Eric Adams added of a potential Guard deployment.
Can Trump ignore Hochul's recommendation and is there anything New York can do to stop them?
National security experts said if Trump wants to send National Guard troops to New York, Chicago or elsewhere, there's little that city and state officials can do to stop him, outside of filing a lawsuit after the fact, as was done in California.
A provision in Title 10 of the U.S. Code allows the sitting president to call National Guard members into federal service under certain circumstances, including to repel an "invasion" or if there is a "rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the government."
Trump also has the ability to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces, such as the National Guard, inside the United States to suppress rebellion or to enforce law in certain situations.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom filed a lawsuit after Guard troops were deployed in his state in June, arguing they were illegally engaged in civilian law enforcement. Trump’s lawyers insist the National Guard didn’t engage in any civil law enforcement.
The case is still pending.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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