President Donald Trump’s move to federalize law enforcement in Washington, D.C., to bring an end to street crime meant that tourists and residents were met by the unusual and slightly eerie sight of U.S. military members patroling the city on Thursday morning as the sun rose.
Members of the National Guard were present along the Mall as part of the administration’s show of force, which was trailed in advance by an insider who spoke to ABC News.
But the soldiers making up the “significant militart presence” were only ever likely to encounter visitors and school children on vacation touring the capital’s historic landmarks at the height of summer, leaving the purpose of the exercise somewhat unclear.
“That’s part of our assignment – to go to the national monuments and be present,” U.S. Army spokesperson Col. Dave Butler told ABC.
A spokesperson for the Guard told The Independent: “The D.C. National Guard is actively supporting law enforcement partners in the district to enhance public safety and security, following the president’s directive.
“Approximately 800 DCNG members have been activated and are now deployed. The DCNG is committed to working in partnership with civilian law enforcement agencies and serving our community to carry out the president’s order.”
Trump insisted at a press conference on Monday that his strategy was necessary because crime in D.C. is “out of control,” a conclusion he appears to have reached after ex-DOGE employee Edward “Big Balls” Coristine was brutally assaulted in an attempted carjacking last month.
Announcing that he was handing responsibility for policing the district over to Attorney General Pam Bondi and mobilising the Guard to protect the public, Trump insisted the city required “liberation” from “violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people.”
His claim is not consistent with official crime statistics for the last two years, which report that street crime is actually in a state of steep decline to 30-year lows, leading his opponents to suggest he is seeking a “distraction” from unfavorable media narratives, notably the Jeffrey Epstein uproar.
Trump’s operation is reportedly being run by a joint task force led by Army Col. Larry Doane.
Residents in the capital are unlikely to see more than around a quarter of the total number of assigned Guard members on the streets at any one time, as they are working in shifts.
The deployment of additional forces on Wednesday evening was not without incident, with traffic-stops in the northwest of the city greeted by protests from around 100 members of the public, some of whom chanted, “Go home, fascists!,” according to The Washington Post.
Approximately 20 law enforcement officers, many of whom were wearing face masks and “Homeland Security Investigations” vests, stopped multiple cars at the busy intersection of 14th and W streets NW from 8 pm to around 10 pm, detaining at least two people, one of whom was a woman whose arrest inspired the crowd to shout at the agents: “Read the Constitution!”
An officer at the scene reportedly told the hecklers the team was checking for “driving eligibility” and “status.”
