Trump increases federal law enforcement in DC

"We have a capital that’s very unsafe," Trump said this week to reporters. "We have to run DC." On Truth Social, Trump said, "If DC doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore."

The deployment began at midnight on Thursday and makes use of local and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations, per Fox News. The goal is to increase public safety in a city where 56% of the carjacking arrests since 2023 were of minors aged 12 and over.

"Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long," said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. "President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in DC."

"President Trump is committed to making our Nation’s capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world," Leavitt said.

The president has long been concerned with the state of the District of Columbia, the nation's capital, which suffers from violent crime, homelessness, and poor management. He's floated plans to federalize DC, though that would take congressional consideration, as it was Congress that passed the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973.

DC residents elect their own mayor, who runs the city, though they do not have representation in Congress. The Home Rule Act was the result of DC residents wanting more control over their own affairs.

The Task Force will be responsible for ensuring that federal immigration law is followed in the District, and will coordinate with local law enforcement to make sure that tourist hot spots, such as the National Mall, Memorial Parks, museum areas and monuments, as well as the city's parks like Lafayette Park, Rock Creek Park, Anacostia Park and other areas are well-maintained and crime free.

The move this week follows an attack on a DOGE employee, Edward Coristine, who was attempting to protect a woman from a gang of teens. Two 15-year-old suspects have been arrested over the crime.