League of Women Voters urges Sanders to recall Arkansas National Guard troops from Washington

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The League of Women Voters of Arkansas is publicly calling on Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to bring home the roughly 100 Arkansas Army National Guard soldiers deployed to Washington, D.C., a mission the governor has repeatedly extended since the troops first left the state late last year.

The nonpartisan voting rights organization made the appeal this week, urging the governor to end Arkansas’ participation in the federal security mission in the nation’s capital and return the Guardsmen to their home state.

The soldiers, drawn from the 142nd Field Artillery Brigade, deployed to Washington shortly after Thanksgiving 2025 following an announcement from the governor’s office that November. Sanders extended the mission by 90 days in January, and the troops remain in the capital more than eight months after they first arrived.

The Arkansas contingent supports the D.C. National Guard’s civil security operations, conducting what the governor’s office describes as “security presence patrols and law enforcement support in designated areas.” The federally funded mission traces back to August 2025, when President Donald Trump mobilized hundreds of National Guard troops in Washington, citing a crime emergency in the district. Guard units from multiple states have rotated through the capital since.

Sanders has stood firmly behind the deployment. When she announced the January extension, the governor pointed to what she called measurable public safety gains in the district, including federal figures showing more than 6,000 arrests, over 600 illegal guns removed and steep year-over-year drops in murders, robberies and carjackings since the operation began.

“Arkansas’ Guardsmen are the best in the country, and I saw firsthand their hard work and commitment to public safety when I had the chance to visit our men and women serving in D.C. last December,” Sanders said at the time. “This mission is delivering significant, real improvements to public safety in our nation’s capital, and I am honored that our Guard is playing a part in keeping D.C. safe.”

The League’s request comes amid growing pushback in several states over long-running Guard deployments to Washington. In Hawaii, Gov. Josh Green faced similar recall demands from residents and advocacy groups in July. Federal judges have challenged comparable military deployments in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, Oregon, though an appeals court paused a ruling affecting Washington, citing the district’s unique status as a federal enclave — a decision that has allowed the Guard presence there to continue.

The governor’s office has not publicly responded to the League’s request. Absent another announcement from Sanders, the current 90-day extension framework leaves the timeline for the Arkansans’ return home an open question.

This story will be updated if the governor’s office responds.