The Trump administration said that, until now, only small groups of federal officers had been seen around Washington, D.C., but this was about to change.
The White House announced that federal agents would begin patrolling the city both during the day and at night. Officials also said that there would be a much larger presence of National Guard members starting Wednesday night.
On the first day of the federal takeover of Washington’s police department, federal agents and city police made 23 arrests. However, D.C. council member Christina Henderson said most of these arrests were from traffic stops, calling them “a normal Saturday night in any big city.”
President Donald Trump took control of Washington, D.C., on Monday by activating 800 National Guard troops and declaring a “criminal emergency” in the city. This was done under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows a president to take control of the city’s police for up to 30 days in an emergency.
Trump claimed that the nation’s capital had become “lawless” and said he would ask Republicans in Congress to extend federal control beyond the 30-day limit. Before announcing the takeover, Trump argued that crime in Washington was at “emergency levels” and could only be fixed by federal action.
City leaders disagreed, pointing to data showing violent crime is at a 30-year low, despite a sharp increase two years ago. Trump has also threatened to use similar federal takeovers in other Democratic-led cities, such as Chicago, for the same reasons.
