Three states moved to deploy hundreds of members of their National Guard to the nation’s capital as part of the Trump administration’s effort to overhaul policing in Washington through a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness.

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.

The moves announced Saturday came as protesters pushed back on federal law enforcement and National Guard troops fanning out in the heavily Democratic city following President Donald Trump’s executive order federalizing local police forces and activating about 800 District of Columbia National Guard members.

By adding outside troops to join the existing Guard deployment and federal law enforcement officers, Trump is exercising even tighter control over the city. It’s a power play that the president has justified as an emergency response to crime and homelessness, even though city officials have noted that violent crime is lower than it was during Trump’s first term in office.

So far, National Guard members have played a limited role in law enforcement in D.C. and it’s unclear why additional troops are needed. They have been seen patrolling at landmarks like the National Mall and Union Station and assisting with crowd control.

WATCH | National Guard troops patrol the streets of Washington: National Guard starts patrolling Washington The National Guard has started to patrol the streets of Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump declared a crime emergency. He’s also ordered troops to clear out all homeless encampments by the end of the week.

A protest against Trump’s intervention drew scores to Dupont Circle on Saturday before a march to the White House, about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) away. Demonstrators assembled behind a banner that said, “No fascist takeover of D.C.,” and some in the crowd held signs saying, “No military occupation.”

Trump was at his Virginia golf club after Friday’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

‘I can’t believe that this is happening’

Morgan Taylor, one of the organizers who coordinated Saturday’s protest, said they were hoping to spark enough backlash to Trump’s actions that the administration would be forced to pull back on its crime and immigration agenda.

“It’s hot, but I’m glad to be here. It’s good to see all these people out here,” she said. “I can’t believe that this is happening in this country at this time.”

Fuelling the protests were concerns about Trump overreach and that he had used crime as a pretext to impose his will on Washington.

John Finnigan, 55, was taking a bike ride when he ran into the protest in downtown Washington. The real estate construction manager who has lived in the capital for 27 years said Trump’s moves were “ridiculous” because crime is down.

WATCH | D.C. residents are ‘terrified,’ advocate says: ‘Residents are terrified’: advocate reacts as National Guard patrols in D.C. | Hanomansing Tonight Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, says the deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., ‘undermines’ the evidence-based work that has been done, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday he would deploy the guard and take over the district’s police department, citing a crime emergency in the area.

“Hopefully, some of the mayors and some of the residents will get out in front of it and try and make it harder for it to happen in other cities,” Finnigan said.

Jamie Dickstein, a 24-year-old teacher, said she was “very uncomfortable and worried” for the safety or her students given the “unmarked officers of all types” now roaming Washington and detaining people.

Dickstein said she turned out to the protest with friends and relatives to “prevent a continuous domino effect going forward with other cities.”