Trump administration seeks more federal recruits for National Guard forces
The White House ordered the creation of an online portal for individuals with law enforcement or “other relevant” experience to apply for the National Guard.
The Trump administration is seeking to amplify the presence of the National Guard through further federal recruitment, a few weeks after President Donald Trump first deployed National Guard members to be stationed in Washington, D.C.
The White House on Monday ordered the creation of a new online application portal for individuals with law enforcement experience or “other relevant backgrounds” to apply to join the National Guard forces.
Trump’s Aug. 25 executive order called on the recently-formed “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force” within the White House to begin hiring and training an additional “specialized” unit of the National Guard. That unit will include members from several different federal law enforcement agencies and “can be deployed whenever the circumstances necessitate,” the order states.
“Further, the Secretary of Defense will ensure the availability of a National Guard quick reaction force for rapid nationwide deployment when circumstances warrant,” the White House wrote Monday in a fact sheet.
In other portions of Monday’s executive order, the White House directed the National Park Service to hire more police officers, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. to recruit more prosecutors focused on crime. The Trump administration also called on the Department of Housing and Urban Development to investigate instances of “non-compliance with crime-prevention and safety requirements” — and the Transportation Department to address “unsafe conditions” in D.C.’s transit system.
Trump first deployed the National Guard in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 11, initially with 800 members. That number has risen to about 2,200 troops over the past few weeks. The president called up the National Guard members to assist federal law enforcement in his bid to crack down on crime, homelessness and illegal immigration. It’s unclear how long the deployment will last.
Democrats have harshly criticized the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard, calling it unprecedented, unnecessary and unlawful. Many government officials, including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, have pointed to a current 30-year low in the city’s crime rates.
More recently, Trump suggested taking a similar approach by deploying the National Guard to other cities, such as Chicago and New York. Trump’s order this week notes that the new “specialized” National Guard unit can be deployed in other cities “where public safety and order has been lost,” but while still “subject to applicable law.”
In the past several weeks, the Trump administration has also sought to hire more agents at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced earlier this month that she was removing age restrictions for ICE recruits, who can now be as young as 18 years old. The agency is also attempting to entice more applicants for ICE officer positions with a signing bonus of up to $50,000.
On top of its current funding, the Department of Homeland Security in July received an additional $165 billion from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” to take on a massive law enforcement hiring surge over the next several years.
The recruitment efforts come as the vast majority of the federal government remains under a hiring freeze. On his first day in office, Trump directed virtually all agencies to halt their recruitment efforts, while exempting national security and public safety positions. The initially 90-day hiring freeze has been extended twice and is currently set to expire Oct. 15. Once the freeze lifts, the Trump administration will still cap most agencies to one new hire for every four federal employees who leave the civil service.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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