What Next | Daily News and Analysis The National Guard Is Asking Questions
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Nov 17, 2025 Kat Lonsdorf, a reporter from NPR, dives into the complex dynamics of the National Guard's recent domestic deployments. She highlights the discomfort among Guard members about unclear missions and community pushback. Lonsdorf shares insights into the hesitation of some Guardspeople to sign up for deployments, likening their roles in urban patrols to combat experiences. She also questions the effectiveness of these deployments in crime reduction or immigration enforcement, revealing the legal and ethical challenges faced by the Guard.
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Guardspeople Conceal Their Service
- Some Guard members now hide their service to avoid social stigma tied to deployments.
- Kat Lonsdorf reports one member stopped mentioning Guard service to new acquaintances out of discomfort.
Conflated Rationale For Guard Deployments
- The Trump administration frames Guard deployments as answers to violent crime and immigration unrest, often conflating the two for effect.
- Kat Lonsdorf says this blurs lines between federal law enforcement and military roles, likely by design.
Deployments Drain Local Emergency Capacity
- Activating the National Guard for domestic missions strains disaster response capacity and local services.
- Kat Lonsdorf notes members are often nurses, teachers, and firefighters who are pulled away from crucial civilian roles.