Deploying troops on American streets is rare and controversial. National Guard have been sent to Washington in recent years, to help bolster security at presidential inaugurations and during protests, including the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters.

Hundreds of National Guard soldiers in military fatigues and combat boots mingled with tourists, posed for selfies, and treated themselves to ice cream from food trucks on Thursday along Washington’s National Mall,

Nearly 1,700 National Guard troops will mobilize across 19 states to assist DHS and ICE with immigration enforcement, Pentagon officials confirmed to Fox News.