Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hosted a ceremony in D.C.’s Malcolm X Park, also known as Meridian Hill Park, to recognize National Guard members and celebrate the restoration of the park’s fountains – and was met by protests.

“Guard, go home!” and “Say it loud, say it clear: Immigrants are welcome here!” members of the crowd shouted as they blew whistles and banged on drums.

Hegseth was joined in the Northwest D.C. park by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and about 200 members of the National Guard.

Miller thanked National Guard members for their service and said D.C. has seen “the largest, fastest, steepest reduction in violent crime that has been achieved in any city anywhere in this country since the recording of crime data has existed.”

Hegseth acknowledged the protesters.

“This background noise this morning is perfect. It’s the sound of ingrates, of ingratitude, of people who are so blinded by ideology they can’t see law and order and common sense in front of them,” he said. “That there’s nothing ideological about this group. There’s nothing political about this exercise. Law and order is something all Americans deserve.”

The event included a moment of silence for the two National Guard members who were shot and wounded in downtown D.C. in November, killing Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and seriously injuring Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.

Miller said people tell him stories about parents telling their children to trust National Guard members.

“I’ve heard story after story where parents say to their kids when they’re waiting to get picked up, ‘Just go find where the National Guard is and stand there and wait until I can come pick you up,’” he said. “You cannot put a dollar value on what you provided to not only the people who live in this city, but the people who visit this city.”

A D.C. think tank recently found that the deployment of National Guard members by the Trump administration had no effect on violent crime but reduced opportunistic property crime in high-visibility tourist areas.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked National Guard members in D.C.’s Malcolm X Park, also known as Meridian Hill Park in a ceremony. “You ensure that our capital is safe and secure,” he said.

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