The National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C., will begin carrying weapons on Sunday evening just two days after given authorization by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth .

Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon by email outside of normal business hours on Sunday evening for comment.

Why It Matters

The deployment aims to combat crime in the city , even as crime rates have reached a 30-year low , marking one of the most aggressive federal interventions in local law enforcement in recent history.

The deployment has prompted strong backlash due to the fact the administration bypassed the city's elected leaders, who have variously described Trump's directive as "unsettling," "unprecedented" and "dangerous."

What To Know

A Joint Task Force-DC (JTF-DC) spokesperson told News

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