300+ GA Soldiers Sent To Aid Trump's Takeover In DC, Kemp Says

ATLANTA, GA — Gov. Brian Kemp sent 316 members of the Georgia National Guard to Washington, D.C., in support of President Donald Trump's mission to "restore public safety," the governor's office announced Friday.

The deployed guardsmen arrived earlier in the week to Joint Base Anacostia-Boiling in Washington, D.C. and included 16 support staff members and 300 soldiers, Kemp's office said.

The support staff is aiding the Joint Task Force-District of Columbia with medical, public affairs and military police efforts.

The deployment comes after Trump's Aug. 11 executive order that proclaimed a "crime emergency" in D.C.

At the time, Trump ordered federal authorities to increase their presence in D.C. following the attempted carjacking of one of his employees, NPR reported. The purpose of the National Guard in D.C. is "to crush crime and 'clean up' the nation's capital," NPR reported.

The Georgia guardsmen "will mobilize in and around the nation's capital to aid in restoring public safety," Kemp's office said. They may be armed depending on the mission but are not expected to come into direct contact with civilians, Kemp's office said.

"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 news release. "We share a commitment to upholding public safety and are grateful to these brave guardsmen and women, for the families that support them, and for their dedication to service above self. As they have demonstrated again and again, our Georgia Guard is well equipped to fulfill both this mission and its obligations to the people of our state."

Come mid-September, a second round of about 300 Georgia National Guard soldiers will relieve the existing deployed soldiers of their duties in D.C.

With Kemp's order, his office said Georgia is now among seven other states to send service members to D.C. "to provide a visible presence in support of local law enforcement."

Kemp's office specified the operation to support the D.C. efforts varies from a request to help the work of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency in Georgia.

Officials said the service members assisting ICE are unarmed and are not in the field. Instead, they are fulfilling administrative and logistical duties at various ICE facilities statewide.