JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Governor Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) answered questions on Tuesday about the White House’s comments on Jackson and the possibility of a National Guard deployment to the capital city.

The Trump administration has said they’re working to crack down on crime in cities across the United States. President Donald Trump has threatened to send National Guard troops into more American cities after deploying soldiers in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles this year.

During a press conference earlier this month, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Jackson “has acted as a de facto sanctuary city for criminals and illegal aliens since 2017.”

Leavitt’s comments about Jackson raised the specter of a National Guard deployment in Jackson, but Reeves said that may not be necessary.

“I will tell you, working with the legislature, we’ve taken a different approach. As you know, here in the City of Jackson, we’ve hired almost 200 police officers. We’ve hired additional judges. We’ve hired and paid for additional prosecutors. We’ve hired and paid for additional public defenders. And we are making great progress with violent crimes being down almost 43% year over year. But if that ever changes, if it ever feels as if we need to bring in the guard, I’m not taking anything off the table,” the governor said.

No formal moves on a potential guard deployment in Jackson have been announced as of publication.