West Virginia, Ohio, and South Carolina — are set to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington. And, in a reversal of their previous stance, Defense officials now say many of those troops will be armed.

National Guard presence in D.C. is set to increase in the coming days after the governors of some Republican states deployed troops to the capital.

The move comes as federal agents and National Guard troops have begun to appear across the heavily Democratic city after President Trump's executive order earlier this week.

The Republican governors of three states announced they will send state National Guard personnel to Washington, D.C., at the Trump administration's request. The big picture: The deployment of hundreds of additional troops, who will join the 800 already mobilized in the nation's capital, marks a major escalation in President Trump's takeover.

Three Republican-led states said Saturday that they were deploying hundreds of National Guard members to the nation’s capital to bolster the Trump administration’s effort to overhaul policing in Washington through a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness.

The Republican governors of West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio announced Saturday they will send National Guard troops to Washington, DC, in an escalation of President Donald Trump’s efforts to federally take over law enforcement in the city.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia said his state would send 300 to 400 troops to Washington, while Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina pledged 200 members. Gov. Mike DeWine said he would send another 150.

Trump's plan to address crime in D.C. calls for deploying National Guard troops along the National Mall overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning, according to a source.

With National Guard troops from West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio all ordered to Washington, D.C. on Saturday, the number of troops on the ground in the District will nearly double in the coming days.

The 800 soldiers, in round-the-clock shifts of 100 to 200, will support Washington police and federal law enforcement officers.

Dressed in camouflage fatigues, National Guard troops patrolled areas of Washington Thursday, dispatched by President Donald Trump to police what he has called "out of control crime" in the city.