White House official says to expect "significantly higher National Guard presence” in Washington, D.C. Wednesday evening.

A senior Army official said that some troops were deploying with D.C. police Tuesday night and that their mobilization marked the beginning of the deployment of 800 National Guard members.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said troops will not get involved in law enforcement but would be “proactive” if they saw something illegal happening.

The 800 soldiers, in round-the-clock shifts of 100 to 200, will support Washington police and federal law enforcement officers.

National Guard troops have begun 24-hour operations around Washington, D.C., as of Thursday morning, according to a Department of Defense official. It's part of President Donald Trump's plan to address crime in Washington by taking over the city's police department and deploying the National Guard troops.

The first wave of National Guard troops have been deployed to Washington, D.C. as President Trump's takeover of the capital's law enforcement begins. NBC News' Garrett Haake reports more. Former Secretary of Homeland Security under the Obama administration Janet Napolitano joins Ana Cabrera to share her thoughts on Trump's order to combat crime in the city.