Going to take capital back: Trump takes control of DC police, deploys National Guard

On Monday, US President Donald Trump announced that he’s putting Washington DC’s police under federal control and sending in the National Guard to tackle what he called a rise in lawlessness, even though statistics show that violent crime hit a 30-year low in 2024. While speaking at the White House with key officials by his side, Trump stated that the National Guard would play a crucial role in restoring “law, order, and public safety” in the city. "I'm deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order, and public safety in Washington, DC," Trump told reporters, flanked by administration officials like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi. "Our capital city has been overrun by violent gangs and ruthless criminals." Trump also mentioned that 800 National Guard troops would be sent to the capital to assist local and federal law enforcement, with Defense Secretary Hegseth noting that these units are expected to arrive within the next week. "The Metropolitan Police Department and federal authorities will receive support in this significant effort, with the 800 D.C. National Guardsmen we’re deploying. And if needed, we can send even more," Trump added. This decision follows a trend of Trump focusing on Democratic-led cities by increasing federal oversight of local law enforcement, a move that critics argue is politically motivated. Hundreds of federal agents from various agencies, including the FBI, ICE, DEA, and ATF, have already been stationed throughout Washington. However, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser countered this narrative, pointing out that violent crime actually reached a 30-year low last year and has continued to decline into 2025. According to city police data, violent crime dropped by 26% in the first seven months of 2025, following a 35% decrease in 2024. Overall, crime also fell by 7%. Despite these improvements, gun violence remains a pressing issue, with Washington ranking third in gun homicides among large US cities in 2023. The use of National Guard troops is a strategy that the Republican president employed in Los Angeles, where he sent 5,000 troops in June to address the protests sparked by his administration's immigration raids. State and local leaders criticized Trump's move as unnecessary and inflammatory. A federal trial was scheduled to kick off on Monday in San Francisco to determine if the Trump administration broke US law by deploying National Guard troops and US Marines without getting the go-ahead from Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. The President has significant authority over the 2,700 members of the DC National Guard, which is different from states where governors usually have the power to activate troops. The Guard has been sent to Washington on several occasions, including in response to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters. During his first term, Trump also called in the National Guard to Washington in 2020 to help control mostly peaceful protests that erupted nationwide over police brutality following George Floyd's murder. Civil rights leaders condemned this deployment, which was met with opposition from Bowser. It's important to note that US military involvement in domestic law enforcement activities is generally prohibited by law.

NEWS