National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C., are now armed. It comes as President Donald Trump is threatening to expand his crackdown on crime beyond the nation’s capital to other major cities including New York and Chicago.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo late last week authorizing National Guard troops deployed in Washington, D.C., to carry weapons if their mission requires it. The memo, according to one official, was addressed to the chief of the National Guard Bureau and the Secretary of the Army.

National Guard members, who began carrying weapons Sunday, have mostly been aiding law enforcement with community safety patrols.