Around 200 members of the Utah National Guard have been relocated from the hotel where they were staying while deployed to Washington DC after mayor cancels contract according to Utah Sen. Mike Lee. (Photo: Sen Mike Lee / Twitter)
WASHINGTON DC — Around 200 members of the Utah National Guard have been relocated from the hotel where they were staying while deployed to Washington DC.
The guard has been in the nation’s capital at the request of the president to help with civil unrest after a week of protests.
Utah Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) says the mayor of DC evicted troops from their hotel.
“These brave men and women have risked their lives protecting DC for three days. Rioting, looting, arson, and vandalism have all disappeared because these soldiers served. And now they are being kicked to the curb by an ungrateful mayor. This must be stopped,” he said.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has said that she wants out-of-state military troops out of the nation’s capital. She seemed to be invoking the 3rd Amendment, which involves quartering troops in homes at peacetime.
But Lee told Fox News late Thursday night it wasn’t right what she was doing.
“They’ve been on all night shifts with 10 hours notice, all-night shifts every night for the last three or four nights in a row. They’ll get off at 10 a.m. tomorrow,” he said. “And I’m told at that point, they’ll have to go gather their things and go find another place to stay because the mayor’s office canceled their contract. That’s not right.”
Friday morning the Guard sent a statement confirming they were relocated.
“It has been heartbreaking for our Utah National Guard service members to witness the pain, suffering, and frustration in our communities across this nation. Responding to civil unrest in Utah and in our nation’s capital is the hardest mission we face, but one that we are trained and prepared to do.
“The Utah National Guard activated approximately 200 service members on June 1 in response to a request for support from our national command authority. The Utah National Guard has been supporting civil authorities with our top priority of protecting lives as well as preserving property and critical infrastructure in our nation’s capital. Last night, we were informed that our service members would be relocated from their hotel rooms. At this time, their housing situation has not been resolved. The District of Columbia’s National Guard is working diligently to resolve the matter.
“The Utah National Guard is in the area to help. We are committed to supporting our partners and serving our fellow Americans for as long as we are needed.”
Lee thought they might have to sleep on cots at the DC Armory for now.
“These people are professionals. They’re willing to do whatever they’ve got to do,” he said.
The Guard has been cleaning up and doing other duties as assigned.