A Lesson in Disinformation Tactics: Power and Influence are the Primary Drivers for Domestic National Guard Deployments
With the White House in the distance, armed National Guard troops patrol the National Mall on Aug. 28 as part of Donald Trump's order to impose federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C. Photo by J. Scott Applewhite / The Associated Press
The Integrity Project
Tourists clutch guidebooks nervously. Locals swap tips about which streets to avoid after dark. Every evening, the news seems to add another warning about the scourge of violence gripping the population. We are of course talking about: Memphis, Tenn.
Given the discourse today around the nation’s capital, you would be forgiven for thinking at first we were talking about Washington D.C., or Chicago, or Los Angeles. In reality, the city with the highest violent crime rate per capita in the U.S. is a very different kind of place—one more famous for blues and barbecue than for politics, and certainly not on the tip of anybody’s tongue when discussing violent crime. So why is it the conversation around a need to stem the tide of violence keeps coming back to the land of cherry blossoms and K Street?
To answer that question, one needs to look little further than a jurisdiction’s political leanings and relative level of cooperation as it relates to aggressive deportation of undocumented residents.
A Manufactured Crisis
The Trump Administration has justified deploying National Guard troops into Washington, D.C. with a stark warning: the capital is overwhelmed by violent crime and a state of lawlessness. Is there a level of crime worth working to reduce in D.C.? Of course, as there is in every major American city.
But according to the FBI’s 2024 violent crime data, Washington is not among the nation’s most dangerous cities. It doesn’t even rank in the top 20. The FBI’s own statistics show that the cities most afflicted by violent crime are nowhere near this administration’s deployment map. Memphis recorded 1,345 violent crimes per 100,000 residents last year, the highest rate in the nation. Alexandria, La., followed with 1,124, and Anchorage, Alaska, with 983. Pueblo, Colo., and Detroit also posted far higher crime rates than Washington, which came in at 24th on the FBI’s list for 2024. Yet none of these places have been singled out for military intervention. Instead are discussions of deploying troops into Baltimore, which is 38th on the list, or New York which, while data wasn’t available for 2024, based on 2022’s data New York’s rate of 158 would put it somewhere around 326th on the FBI’s 2024 violent crime statistics list—next to such criminal hotbeds as Mount Vernon, Wash., Oshkosh, Wis., or Bend, Ore.
Crime is the Cover. Immigration is the Driver
Despite the above, the place currently receiving the bulk of the administration’s attention is the capital, where they moved to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department and station between 800 and 2,000 National Guard troops on city streets. Being able to pursue aggressive deportations is the reason, and notably not the “high” crime rate. NBC Washington reported that the administration cited ICE arrest data to suggest a wave of violent offenders in D.C., even though those numbers primarily reflect immigration violations, not violent crime. CNN documented similar claims tying migrants to crime spikes that never materialized. The mismatch between rhetoric and reality is striking and should be concerning to every American citizen. We purposely use the word “citizen” in this context because disinformation used by a government for control over cities, states, or the larger population – even if in enforcing laws that impact NON-citizens - is a tactic used by the worst actors in the world to enforce control, increase power, reduce freedoms, silence voices, and stifle choice.
Political Targeting, Not Public Safety
What emerges is a pattern of political targeting and fear mongering. Washington is symbolically powerful, politically adversarial, and highly visible; a Democratic-led jurisdiction with a large Black population and a history of protest, much like Chicago which appears to be next on the administration’s radar. The decision to send troops to these places aligns with a bold-faced strategy of intimidation and control.
A Familiar Playbook of Fear
This disinformation tactic is hardly new. For decades, American politicians have invoked “law and order” as a dog whistle, often using racially coded language or distorted crime figures to build support. What is new today is the degree of reliance on disinformation. What could be more blatant than openly characterizing obviously unfriendly jurisdictions as crime ridden to justify the insertion of a military force while many friendlier political places are significantly more violent? Then, doubling down of the obvious bait and switch, they substitute immigration arrests for violent crime data. The administration isn’t just bending the truth—it is attempting to erase it. What other situations could be falsely sold to the public in the future to excuse deployment of troops into America cities? A hotly contested election? Peaceful protests? State’s rights arguments?
The Real Threat
The distinction between policing and national defense within our boundaries is sacrosanct for good reason. The independence of states was, by design, a protection for us for the very same reason. That reason was that we, the people, are protected by law to prevent a federal executive from taking actions to control us. Deploying military forces against civilians based on distorted rationale does no other than place our cities under occupation. There is no national emergency. There is no need for protection. There is only the need for control.
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE OF THE NATIONAL GUARD, ICE AGENTS DEPLOYED IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
ADDITIONAL NEWS FROM THE INTEGRITY PROJECT
