Trump Federalizes D.C. Police, Deploys 800 National Guard Members Citing Crime Surge
President Trump has deployed 800 National Guard members to Washington, D.C., placing the city's police under federal control.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has placed the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under direct federal control and deployed 800 National Guard members to the city, a move the White House described as a “massive law enforcement surge” to combat rising crime. The intervention, however, comes as official city data shows that violent crime in the nation’s capital is at a 30-year low.
The initial phase of the surge on Monday night resulted in 23 arrests and the seizure of six illegal handguns, according to the administration. The move has ignited a jurisdictional firestorm, with the White House appointing the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Terry Cole, as the interim federal administrator of the MPD. President Trump also suggested he may order similar federal interventions in other major U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago, and Baltimore, prompting swift and sharp condemnation from civil rights leaders and local officials.
“A Federal Coup” vs. “Cracking Down on Crime”
The decision by President Trump to federalize the D.C. police has been met with fierce opposition. A coalition of Black mayors and prominent civil rights leaders denounced the action, with NAACP President Derrick Johnson and Rev. Al Sharpton calling it a “federal coup” that harms democratic principles. Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League, labeled the move “racially polarizing” and an attempt to “create a de facto police state”.
The administration has forcefully rejected these criticisms. “There is nothing divisive about cracking down on crime,” said Assistant Press Secretary Taylor Rogers, urging Democrat-run cities to “focus on cleaning up their own streets”. Republican leaders have echoed this support, with Rep. James Comer, chair of the House oversight committee, blaming the D.C. Council’s “radical soft-on-crime agenda” for the situation. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller went further, claiming that crime statistics in “big blue cities are fake”.
A Dispute Over Data
The central conflict of the federal deployment lies in the data. While the administration’s actions are predicated on an out-of-control crime wave, official statistics paint a different picture. As of Monday, overall crime in D.C. is down 7%, and violent crime is down 26% compared to the same period in 2024. The city’s homicide rate has also fallen by 34% through July 2025 compared to 2023 levels.
Other cities mentioned by Trump report similar trends. Baltimore’s homicides are down 28%, reaching the lowest level on record, and Chicago has seen a more than 30% drop in violent crime. Critics point out that while ordering the surge, the Trump administration previously cut $158 million in federal funding for violence prevention programs in many of these same cities.
Jurisdictional Clash and Local Response
The federalization order has created significant confusion over the chain of command. While the White House stated DEA Administrator Terry Cole is “functionally in charge,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the move “unsettling and unprecedented” and maintained that MPD Chief Pamela Smith still answers to her. Chief Smith confirmed she has provided federal partners with “strategic plans” but ultimately reports to Mayor Bowser.
The deployment also includes plans to dismantle the city’s remaining homeless encampments, with those who do not comply facing potential “fines or jail time”. This has raised alarms among advocates, who note that Black Americans are four times more likely to experience homelessness than white Americans and will be disproportionately affected. The administration has stated the federal deployment will be reevaluated in 30 days.
