DENVER (KDVR/AP) — Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order on Thursday to deploy at least 200 members of the National Guard to Washington, D.C. to aid authorities with security for the upcoming presidential inauguration.
“Colorado will proudly do our part, joining 40 other states across our great nation in sending members of our National Guard to the nation’s capital for our country’s upcoming Presidential inauguration on January 20th,” Polis said.
“The presence of the Colorado National Guard and others will help ensure our nation’s capital and all Americans in attendance including those who call it home and members of our federal government are safe and protected during this peaceful transition of power that has occurred in our country for hundreds of years,” Polis said.
Several other states have deployed National Guard troops to the nation’s capital, including California and New York.
As part of the preparation around the U.S. Capitol, the Associated Press reported that Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has been pressured to close downtown hotels and lodging for the safety of their employees.
On Wednesday, Airbnb announced it was canceling all reservations in the Washington metro area. Bowser said she had been in regular contact with Airbnb officials since last week, but did not specifically request this step.
“We are aware of reports emerging yesterday afternoon regarding armed militias and known hate groups that are attempting to travel and disrupt the Inauguration,” an Airbnb company statement said. “We are continuing our work to ensure hate group members are not part of the Airbnb community.”