Security was stepped up in Washington, D.C., ahead of the Biden inauguration. Members of the National Guard patrol the area on Jan. 16
Washington, D.C., is highly militarized in the run-up to Biden’s inauguration day. Some 25,000 National Guard troops have been authorized to be stationed in the Capital Region under Secret Service orders.
Fences with spiraling barbed wire, roadblocks, security checkpoints and heavily armed guards – sights that would have been seen in a war zone – have now arrived in the heart of Washington, D.C. And that’s just part of the measures being taken in preparation for next week’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
Over the past few days authorities have begun stepping up security measures around Washington, D.C., and specifically the White House and the U.S. Capitol. Videos taken by journalists, workers and residents of the area show streets closed, workers erecting miles of barricades and fences, boarded-up store and office windows and doors, and an increased military presence. Military vehicles were seen parked on downtown streets, and armed guards were checking the identities of people entering and leaving the capital region.
Increased security around the Capitol. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Here is the security plan for Washington, D.C., regarding Biden’s inauguration.
Secret Service to lead specific security matters
The presidential inauguration has been designated a “National Special Security Event” (NSSE), indicating that the Secret Service will be the lead federal agency responsible for coordinating security for the event.
Matt Miller, a Secret Service agent, said the city has extended the special designation for security from Jan. 13 through the day after the presidential inauguration, which is Jan. 21.
The U.S. military confirmed that up to 25,000 National Guard troops from all 50 states, three territories and Washington will be stationed in Washington, D.C., next week, an increase of 5,000 from the number announced earlier in the week.
The Pentagon said Jan. 15 that the number of Guardsmen assigned to Washington exceeds the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan has been reduced to 2,500.
In addition to the Capitol Police, thousands of local law enforcement officers from different states will provide backup to D.C. police, and hundreds of FBI agents are expected to be on the scene.
“Maryann Tierney, regional administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said the agency has also deployed manpower to Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas in Maryland and Virginia.
Ambulances will be on standby near the Capitol, and food and water will be delivered to the area if needed.
According to a statement from the D.C. National Guard, members of the National Guard were given armed authorization on Jan. 12 to support law enforcement efforts at the Capitol and in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., strengthens security defenses on the eve of Biden’s inauguration. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Travel to be Disrupted
Washington, D.C., has been divided into green and red zones as part of the 2021 Presidential Inaugural Subcommittee Transportation Plan. The U.S. Secret Service has posted on its website a list of all street closures, many of which began at 6 a.m. Jan. 16 and are scheduled to be lifted at 6 a.m. Jan. 21. Some bridges and interstate highways through Washington, D.C., are also scheduled to close at 6 a.m. on Jan. 19.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the city’s Metro is closing 13 stations as well as blocking four major bridges. Transportation lines, including trains and buses, will be suspended and large swaths of streets in and around the Capitol will be closed.
Bowser urged the American people to stay home and watch Biden’s inauguration by video on Jan. 20.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has also stepped up security measures ahead of the inauguration, TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement, adding that the agency is currently working with law enforcement agencies to process lists of hundreds of people with potential security risks as part of a risk assessment. The agency will also add additional security measures at three Washington, D.C., airports.
Civil liberties at risk
The highly militarized measures taken in Washington, D.C., ahead of Biden’s inauguration are designed to prevent a repeat of the Jan. 6 violence at the Capitol. But critics point out that this overreaction by authorities threatens a quick loss of civil liberties.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) criticized the way authorities responded to the Jan. 6 incident at the Capitol, noting that individual civil liberties can be lost “very quickly” in times of crisis.
“You know the government. They either underreacted or overreacted. So I think there was clearly too little security last week (Jan. 6), and now we’re going to be a militarized zone again.” Paul said in an interview with Fox News’ “Ingraham Angle.
Paul said members of Congress are also being checked for sharpie pens. “It’s getting ridiculous. So we’ll see what happens and whether this is permanent. Most people who articulate civil liberties say that in times of war, or in times of stress, or in times of crisis, you lose your civil liberties very quickly.”
Paul also said that once Americans lose their civil liberties, “it’s very hard to get them back.”
“Because once the government gets big, it never wants to give that up. But, yes, we have to resist this. But obviously we have to have security as well.” Paul said.
He also said he regretted the lack of security preparations at the Capitol last week, but he was also concerned that there was a “danger of overreaction” to the security deployment a few days ago.
There are also concerns that the D.C. lockdown could hurt businesses that are already struggling with the blockade due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
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