Minnesota Withdraws National Guard From Washington Early

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ordered the state's National Guard members to return home early from Washington, D.C. The troops had been scheduled to remain until July 23. Walz's office told NPR that the decision followed confirmation that guard members were conducting presence patrols in residential neighborhoods away from the National Mall.

The governor had originally directed the troops to assist only with America 250 events near national monuments.

Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan, Maryland and Hawaii also sent guard members with similar restrictions in recent weeks. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's office confirmed that its troops would leave at the end of the week. A single Kentucky guard member was returned home earlier after being reassigned without state approval, according to Gov. Andy Beshear's communications director Scottie Ellis.

162 troops remain scheduled through Aug. 31. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has stated she will withdraw them if further reports emerge of Michigan guard members participating in law enforcement operations. The D.C. city council sent a letter this week urging Whitmer to end the deployment early, citing concerns over mission scope and local control.

Nineteen former senior military officials also wrote to governors who have not yet sent troops, warning that current conditions in the city differ from past events.