By Ashlee Banks
Special to the AFRO
Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation are urging President Donald Trump to abandon plans to deploy National Guard troops to Baltimore, warning that such a move would undermine progress the city has made in reducing crime.
In a joint letter issued Sept. 3, U.S. Reps. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.-07) and Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.-02) highlighted historic drops in violence. Homicides are down nearly 30 percent and non-fatal shootings have declined by 21 percent compared to last year, they wrote, making 2025 Baltimore’s safest year in more than half a century.
“This progress is the direct result of intentional, targeted investments in evidence-based programs, including Baltimore’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy,” the lawmakers wrote. “Inundating our communities with federal troops could severely erode trust and undermine the real progress already underway.”
The letter emphasized that local governments “bear the primary and most immediate responsibility for law enforcement,” noting that federal law places clear limits on the use of military forces for domestic policing. Reps. Mfume and Olszewski urged Trump to “support local leaders in pursuing solutions rooted in justice, accountability, and peace” instead of sending troops.
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.-04) told the AFRO he was concerned with the risks of deploying troops to Baltimore.
“There is no reason to have these guys on the street,” said the Democratic lawmaker. “You have troops out there who are not trained in how to actually do police work…. I’m concerned about the excessive force issue. These guys are carrying M4 assault weapons… the chances of innocent bystanders getting potentially killed goes up dramatically.”
Ivey added that if Trump wants to spend “a million bucks a day,” he should use it to hire more police officers or mobilize federal agencies such as the FBI, DEA and ATF.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08) also rejected the proposal, calling it both unlawful and unnecessary.
“Does anybody think that Donald Trump is more interested in public safety or the quality of life in Maryland than Marylanders are? I don’t think so,” Raskin told the AFRO. “They cut $800 million out of Department of Justice local law enforcement and community security grants… so they should restore that money, and let’s have a summit where we can really talk about what’s working on crime.”
Raskin pointed to major reductions in crime across the country, including in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
“Why don’t we do something productive… because it’s gone down in D.C., it’s gone down in Baltimore, it’s gone down across the country, no thanks to Donald Trump,” he added.
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.-09) described the plan to send troops into Baltimore, Chicago and New Orleans as “overkill.”
“It’s a power grab and it doesn’t really get to the heart of the matter,” she told the AFRO.
The congresswoman urges the Trump administration to invest in programs that address the root causes of crime.
State and local leaders also condemned the idea. Gov. Wes Moore said he welcomes federal partnership but drew a sharp line against National Guard deployment.
The governor issued a statement on Aug.11, following Trump’s order to deploy the National Guard in Washington.
“As someone who has served overseas in uniform and is commander-in-chief of the Maryland Guard, I take how, when, and why we deploy members of our armed forces personally and seriously,” Moore said.
“These actions by the president lack both data and a battle plan. He is simply using honorable men and women as pawns to distract us from his policies, which continue to drive up unemployment and strip away health care and food assistance from those who need it most,” he added.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott emphasized that the city already has a proven public safety strategy.
“If the President of the United States was actually interested in reducing violence, he would look to local leaders as an example, rather than federalizing troops to take over our cities,” Scott said in a statement issued on Aug. 11.
“We know from experience how to improve public safety: empower our community partners and violence interrupters, invest in our young people, and prosecute repeat violent offenders in collaboration with law enforcement,” Scott added. “Together, we remain focused on what matters: defending our democracy, preventing federal overreach, and investing in the public safety strategies that are making our residents safer.”
At this time, it is unclear if and when Trump plans to deploy troops to Baltimore.
When pressed by reporters on Sept. 3 regarding the timing of a potential deployment, Trump replied, “We’re going in…I didn’t say when.”
“I have an obligation. This isn’t a political thing,” he added.