U.S. Capital Enters Second Week with National Guard Deployment

The U.S. capital entered its second week under federal control after President Donald Trump took charge of the Metropolitan Police Department, deployed federal agents, and activated around 800 National Guard troops.

Trump invoked a clause of the Home Rule Act, which has governed Washington, D.C.’s self-government since 1973, to justify the operation. He stated that the measure is intended to clean up the city and eliminate crime amid what he described as an uncontrolled crime wave.

Over the past 15 days, more than 600 arrests have been made, including the detention of undocumented immigrants, according to the White House.

A Washington Post and George Mason University survey showed that nearly eight in 10 residents oppose the federal takeover of the police and the patrolling of the National Guard, which has now been authorized to carry weapons while on duty.

The militarized image of the city has angered residents. Protests have become part of the urban landscape, along with posters, stickers, and graffiti expressing opposition to the measure.

On August 11, Trump declared that he wanted “to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, chaos, and misery,” even though Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser maintains otherwise. Crime in Washington, D.C., decreased by 35 percent last year compared with 2023, reaching its lowest level in three decades.

Trump, however, questioned those statistics. At a White House press conference, he defended his decision by pointing to recent incidents, including the murder of a 21-year-old congressional intern and the assault of a former member of the Office of Government Efficiency during an attempted carjacking.

Under the 1973 law, the president can temporarily assume control of the district’s police department if he determines that “special emergency conditions” exist. For this reason, Trump declared a public security emergency.

The mandate, however, is limited. Only Congress can authorize the president to extend such control beyond 30 days, and any extension must receive legislative approval.

At the time, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “I will make our capital great again! The days of mercilessly killing or injuring innocent people are over! I quickly fixed the border (ZERO ILLEGALS in the last 3 months!), D.C. is next!!!”

The president has now threatened to extend this authority to other cities. Chicago will be the next, and he has also targeted New York and indicated plans to deploy troops in Baltimore.