LANSING, Mich. — Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer rejected Monday suggestions from some Republicans that President Donald Trump should send the National Guard to Detroit in a bid to lower the crime rate in Michigan's largest city.

During a press conference in Kentwood, Whitmer was asked about Republican Vice President JD Vance offering to ship troops to Detroit.

"I think that those tactics are unwarranted and not something that we're going to be asking (for)," Whitmer said, according to a video from west Michigan's WWMT-TV.

Whitmer made the comments during an appearance that focused on the state budget at Hamilton Early Childhood Center in Kentwood. The Detroit News was not invited to the event.

Trump deployed National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., in August and declared a "crime emergency" there. He also signed an order directing the National Guard to Memphis.

"The city of Memphis, Tennessee, is suffering from tremendous levels of violent crime that have overwhelmed its local government’s ability to respond effectively," Trump said in a memo on Sept. 15. "This situation has become dire in one of our nation’s most historic cities."

Then, during a rally in Livingston County on Sept. 17, Vance referenced the idea of sending the National Guard to Detroit. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers of White Lake Township has publicly urged Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan to ask Trump for federal help to "Make Detroit Safe Again."

"Gretchen, we are happy to send the National Guard to Detroit, Michigan," Vance said, referencing the governor by her first name.

Vance added: "Part of making this country work for you all is making sure you’re safe in your communities and safe in your streets.”

Detroit had the second-highest violent crime rate among major U.S. cities in 2024, ranking behind only Memphis.

Asked about troops potentially coming to Detroit, a spokesman for Duggan noted the city has seen significant declines in violent crimes in recent years, including to the lowest number of homicides in nearly 60 years.

In 2024, Detroit’s law enforcement strategy produced record declines and resulted in the fewest homicides, shootings, and carjackings since 1965, Duggan spokesman John Roach said Wednesday. So far this year, the city is experiencing a further 15% drop in homicides, 25% decline in shootings, and 30% plunge in carjackings, all record lows, he said.

"The current partnership between federal, state, county, and private violence prevention groups is achieving record reductions, and it would be a serious mistake to abandon this successful strategy," Roach said.

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(Staff writers Summer Ballentine and Grant Schwab contributed.)

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