Republicans Call for National Guard Deployment in Charlotte Amid Rising Crime Rates

North Carolina Lawmakers Call for National Guard in Charlotte Amid Rising Crime

Three North Carolina lawmakers have formally requested Democratic Governor Josh Stein deploy the National Guard to Charlotte, citing an “increasingly dire” public safety situation in the state’s largest city.

Representatives Mark Harris, Pat Harrigan, and Chuck Edwards, all Republicans representing the Charlotte area, pointed to alarming statistics in their letter to the governor, including eight homicides in a seven-day period and a 200% increase in uptown Charlotte’s murder rate compared to last year.

“According to the Fraternal Order of Police, aggravated assaults involving knives or guns have risen from 86 in 2024 to 111 in 2025, and personal strong-arm robberies have increased from 26 to 31 in the same period,” the letter states.

Rep. Harris emphasized that the request stems not only from congressional representatives but also from local law enforcement. “This is not just my idea. This is the Fraternal Order of Police that had come, saying that they believed this is important and asking the governor and mayor to step up and do it,” Harris said, referencing a similar appeal from Charlotte-Mecklenburg law enforcement earlier this year.

The North Carolina request comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has already deployed National Guard units to six urban areas, including Washington D.C., Memphis, and Chicago, with potential deployments suggested for five additional cities. These deployments remain controversial, with some legal challenges currently working their way through the courts.

In their letter, the North Carolina lawmakers cited positive results from other cities where National Guard troops have been deployed. “In Washington, D.C., when President Trump deployed troops under his lawful authority, the city promptly saw a reduction in crime, including twelve consecutive days without a single homicide,” the lawmakers wrote.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the second-ranking Republican in the chamber, offered support for the North Carolina representatives’ request. “Millions of Americans don’t feel safe in many once-great cities, and President Trump is working with House Republicans to change that. As we’ve seen in D.C. and Memphis, President Trump took decisive action, cleaned up our streets, and made those cities safer,” Scalise said.

Charlotte’s crime picture is complex, according to official statistics. The Charlotte Police Department’s quarterly report shows increases in violent crimes, commercial burglaries, and vehicle break-ins since last year. However, homicides, rapes, property crimes, and arson have decreased slightly from 2024 levels. Many crime categories show meaningful reductions compared to 2022 and 2023 figures.

Rep. Harris views National Guard deployment as a temporary measure to help local police regain control. “What I hope comes out of it is that in that time, the police are able to go after whoever these bad guys are, that are threatening this environment of crime. And then, at the end of the day, it’s going to create a hope, an outcry from the public that says, ‘We’re not going to accept our crime-ridden city anymore.'”

The lawmaker highlighted the murder of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who was stabbed to death on a Charlotte train, as emblematic of systemic failures in the criminal justice system. “In her case, the guy had been arrested 14 times, been put out on the street. These are things that have a lot of issues to be addressed. That’s a judiciary issue,” Harris said.

While Democratic governors in other states have pushed back against National Guard deployments, Harris expressed hope that Governor Stein would cooperate with the Trump administration if such intervention becomes necessary. As of publication, Governor Stein’s office had not responded to requests for comment on the lawmakers’ proposal.

The debate over using National Guard troops to combat urban crime continues to be politically divisive, with supporters pointing to short-term crime reductions and critics questioning the constitutionality and long-term effectiveness of such deployments.