The Pentagon has approved the deployment of 700 unarmed troops to the nation’s capital as it prepares for trucker convoys that are planning protests against pandemic restrictions beginning next week.
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has approved the deployment of 700 unarmed National Guard troops to the nation's capital as it prepares for truck convoys that plan protests against pandemic restrictions starting next week.
The Pentagon said in a statement Tuesday night that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday approved the request from the Colombian government and the US Capitol Police.
The Pentagon said troops would be used to assist with traffic control during expected demonstrations in the city in the coming days. According to the statement, 400 Guard members from the District of Columbia Guard will be joined by 300 Guard members from other states.
The Pentagon said members of the Guard would not carry firearms or participate in law enforcement or home surveillance activities.
Canada has plans for separate truck convoys via online forums, modeled after recent protests by truckers, including names such as the People's Convoy and American Truckers Freedom Fund - all with different starting points, departures With dates and routes. Some are scheduled to arrive in time for President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on March 1, though others may arrive later.
The convoys follow a recent protest by Canadian truckers, which closed the busiest US-Canadian border crossing and lined the streets of the capital Ottawa for weeks to protest government pandemic restrictions. Last week police broke several blockades, leading to more than 100 arrests.
It remains to be seen whether any of the American convoys will try to actively close the streets of Washington, the way their Canadian counterparts did in Ottawa. Some convoy organizers have talked of plans to briefly roll through the city, then focus on closing the Beltway, which encircles the capital.
A statement from People's Convoy specifically says that the trucks "won't go right into DC." That convoy is planning to depart Southern California on Wednesday and reach DC around March 5.
US convoys demand the immediate lifting of what they say are heavy-handed government pandemic restrictions such as mask mandates and vaccine requirements. The American Truckers Freedom Fund website says the group is protesting "the unscientific, unconstitutional encroachment of the federal government."
Vaccines have proven to be highly effective in preventing COVID-19 infection, particularly severe illness and death, and high-quality masks provide strong protection against spreading or contracting the disease. Public sentiment, especially among conservatives, is shifting against government mandates in its third year as the pandemic heads into place.
People's Convoy organizer Mike Landis said in a video testimonial on the group's website that the current COVID vaccine is "not yet proven" but favored personal choice on whether to take it. Landis said the convoy was open to all vehicles and said the primary goal was to pressure Biden to lift the state of national emergency.
"We want this government to bring back the Constitution," Landis said. "We don't want to live under a dictatorial communism-style regime like where we are now."
A state of emergency was declared in the US by President Donald Trump in March 2020. Last week, Biden announced his intention to extend it beyond the current March 1 end date.
Websites that organize American trucker convoys directly reference the inspiration for the Canadian movement. A statement on the People's Convoy website "pays tribute to our brave and courageous neighbors in the north - our Canadian brothers and sisters who led the charge."
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Conti said Friday that his department is closely monitoring the information being transferred and will devote additional police personnel to a highly alert state over the next few weeks. In the meantime, he warned DC residents to be on alert for unexpected traffic jams.
"There will be traffic disruptions, that sort of thing," Conti said. "I think we should be very clear with the public, based on what we've seen in Ottawa, what we can see here in the district."
Conti called the Ottawa standoff "an incredible situation — one we haven't seen here in the District of Columbia."
Conti and Mayor Muriel Bowser made memorable predictions of an uprising in the Capitol building several days before January 6, 2021. He warned residents to stay indoors and called for additional resources, but Capitol Police and the National Guard were still unprepared when a crowd of Trump supporters occupied the building, resulting in several deaths and several injuries. .
The lingering memories of that defeat have fueled a sense of anxiety and speculation over the impending convoy. But Bowser said she is not yet warning residents to avoid the Capitol area or the National Mall.
“We are not yet at the point of giving specific instructions to residents. We will,” Bowser said.