US President Donald Trump might send National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., but their exact roles are still being decided, according to Reuters.
Officials said that hundreds of National Guard members could be sent to the city. However, it’s not clear yet what tasks they will perform. Some might help protect federal agents, while others could handle administrative work to support law enforcement officers.
If this happens, it would follow Trump’s earlier use of the California National Guard during immigration raids in Los Angeles in June. The California Guard is controlled by the state governor.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said it is Trump’s choice to call in the National Guard since he controls them in the city. But she expressed concerns about how the troops would be used. Bowser said that violent crime in D.C. has dropped and questioned if sending troops is the best use of resources. She shared these thoughts in an interview on MSNBC’s The Weekend.
Trump’s Plan to Move Homeless People and Jail Criminals
On Sunday, President Trump promised to remove homeless people from Washington, D.C. and put criminals in jail, even though the city’s mayor said crime is not currently rising.
Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social:
“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong.”
The White House did not explain how Trump plans to legally remove homeless people from the city, since he only controls federal land and buildings there.
Trump also said he will hold a press conference on Monday to talk about stopping violent crime in Washington.
Mayor Bowser told MSNBC that on Saturday night, 450 federal law officers patrolled the city but found no violent crimes. They did, however, take several handguns and arrested people for traffic violations.
Trump called Mayor Bowser “a good person who has tried” but said she has had many chances to fix the city’s problems. He said crime keeps getting worse and the city is “dirtier and less attractive.”
