As President Trump's law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C. continues in its second month, Georgia National Guard troops are now patrolling the nation's capital.

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins visited his home state of Georgia on Monday for a town hall at the Military Influencers Conference, and he discussed the recent deployment during the event.

Georgia troops in Washington, D.C.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp recently mobilized more than 300 members of the Georgia National Guard to replace troops from South Carolina and other states, who had spent weeks in the capital.

While Mr. Trump's emergency order expired on Sept. 10 after Congress failed to extend it, troops remain patrolling the city's high-traffic areas.

Collins praised the soldiers and their work in the operation.

"They're welcome up there. I think the people who are supportive, they appreciate the mission," Collins said. "They're going to earn benefits while they're there. So I look forward to them coming home. Tell the families this is a time for growth."

Concerns over the D.C. deployment

Some local veterans aren't sure that the deployment is the best use of the state's National Guard.

Retired U.S. Army soldier Jarrod Turner said that he could understand why there's "a little bit of uncertainty" when it comes to supporting the order given by Mr. Trump.

"We have to think about it, these men and women, when you sign up, when you take that oath, you are dedicating your life, but also your family's life, because you're going to be taken away from them," he said. "We want to make sure that they're doing the things that are honorable."

Mr. Trump has touted the law enforcement surge as a resounding success in driving down the city's crime rate — an assertion that Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has supported. But data showed that crime was already falling before the federal intervention.

The city's crime has been a central theme for Republicans, including Mr. Trump, who proclaimed the emergency in August because of what he described as "disgraceful" and out-of-control crime. The president has threatened to issue another emergency order if Bowser follows through on her promise not to cooperate with immigration enforcement.

The Georgia Guard members are joining thousands of other soldiers from seven states to support the operation.

It is unclear when the operation will end. Earlier this month, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement that he had approved a request from the Secretary of the Army for military police to patrol in Washington through the end of November.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.