The Republican governors of West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio announced Saturday they will send National Guard troops to Washington, DC, in an escalation of President Donald Trump’s efforts to federally take over law enforcement in the city.

West Virginia said it was deploying 300 to 400 Guard troops, while South Carolina pledged 200 and Ohio says it will send 150 in the coming days, marking a significant escalation of the federal intervention.

Virginia Gov. Youngkin says the National Guard will deploy as part of the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force, focusing on support, not street patrols.

The Republican governors of West Virginia and South Carolina are deploying hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., at the request of the administration of President Donald Trump, who has portrayed the nation's capital as awash in crime.

National Guard troops from West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana have begun arriving in Washington.