by Washington (AP)Even though the mayor of the city has observed that crime is declining in the nation’s capital, President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is deploying the National Guard throughout Washington and taking over the city’s police force in an effort to lower crime.
According to the Republican president, who claimed to be formally announcing a public safety emergency, crime in the U.S. capital is not as safe as it is in other large cities, including the capitals of Colombia, Brazil, and Iraq.
During his news briefing, Trump also stated that his government has begun clearing homeless camps from all of our parks—our gorgeous, gorgeous parks.
Trump added that Washington was only the beginning and that the United States will not lose its cities. “We’re getting rid of the slums, too,” he declared.
He also bemoaned potholes and graffiti in the city, calling them disgraceful, and announced that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi would be taking over the Metro Police Department in Washington.
Following his vigorous campaign to halt illegal border crossings, Trump views his attempt to take control of public safety in Washington as the next phase of his law enforcement program. However, the action, which involves the National Guard and at least 500 federal law enforcement officers, raises serious concerns about how the federal government, which is becoming more confident, will engage with its state and local counterparts.
Combating crime
The president has conveyed that his administration is strong on crime through social media and White House megaphones, but outside of Washington, which has the special status of being a federal district created by Congress, his capacity to influence policy may be constrained. Furthermore, it’s unclear how his campaign would deal with the underlying issues that lead to crime and homelessness.
According to Trump, he is deploying National Guard personnel by using Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act.
In an effort to fight crime, the Trump administration is deploying roughly 500 federal law enforcement personnel across the nation’s capital, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.
According to the individual briefed on the plans, federal law enforcement officials are being assigned to patrols in Washington, including over 100 FBI agents and roughly 40 agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Other contributing officers include the Marshals Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The individual, who spoke to the AP under the condition of anonymity, was not permitted to discuss personnel matters in public. On Monday morning, the Justice Department did not immediately respond.
The National Guard
Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser said the federal government might be far more helpful by financing more prosecutors or filling the 15 vacancies on the D.C. Superior Court, some of which have been open for years. Bowser also questioned the efficacy of employing the Guard to police city laws.
Bowser can ask the Pentagon to activate the National Guard, but she is unable to do so herself.
She acknowledged that the president has the last say on how to employ the Guard, saying on Sunday on MSNBC’s The Weekend, “I just think that’s not the most efficient use of our Guard.”
Since Trump began posting about crime in Washington last week, Bowser was speaking in public for the first time. She pointed out that after increasing in 2023, violent crime in Washington had subsequently declined. Trump portrayed the district as one of the world’s most dangerous cities in his weekend posts.
Bowser believes that any analogy to a nation ravaged by conflict is exaggerated and untrue.
Focusing on homelessness
Although it was unclear where the thousands of homeless individuals in Washington would go, Trump stressed the need to remove them in a social media post on Sunday.
Trump wrote on Sunday that those who are homeless must leave immediately. We will provide lodging for you, although it will be far from the capital. You don’t have to leave, Criminals. You will be placed in the appropriate jail.
The Republican president gave federal law enforcement agencies instructions to bolster their presence in Washington for a period of seven days last week, with the possibility of an extension if necessary.
More than 120 officers and agents from federal agencies, including the FBI, the Secret Service, and the U.S. Marshals Service, were deployed to Washington on Friday night to provide assistance.
Following the recent assault of a prominent member of the Department of Government Efficiency, Trump claimed last week that he was thinking about methods for the federal government to take over Washington, claiming that crime was absurd and the city was dangerous.
Crime statistics
According to police records, there have been fewer homicides, robberies, and burglaries this year than there were at this time in 2024. When compared to this time last year, violent crime has decreased by 26% overall.
In his Truth Social posts over the weekend, Trump provided no information about potential new measures to reduce the levels of crime he claims are dangerous for workers, visitors, and people alike. The White House refused to provide any information regarding the statement on Monday.
When asked what Trump would do next, neither the mayor’s office nor the police department responded.
The attack on Edward Coristine, one of the most well-known representatives of the DOGE bureaucracy-cutting initiative, appears to have triggered the president’s criticism of the region, which he described as being full with tents, poverty, filth, and crime. In connection with the attempted carjacking, police detained two 15-year-olds and stated they were searching for others.
Trump stated on Wednesday that this must be the nation’s best-run facility, not its worst.
Bowser has been given numerous opportunities, but he described her as a good person who has tried.
Trump has frequently implied that federal authorities may regain control of Washington. To accomplish this, Congress would need to abolish the Home Rule Act of 1973, a move Trump claimed attorneys are considering. It might encounter strong opposition.
Bowser admitted that the law gives the president additional authority over the city’s police, but only under specific circumstances.
According to her, our city does not now have any of those conditions. Crime is not on the rise in our area. Actually, we’re seeing a decline in crime.
