Around 800 National Guard members employed by US President Donald Trump began arriving in Washington, DC, on Tuesday as the new law enforcement presence in the nation’s capital started to take shape.City police and federal officials, signalling cooperation, took the initial steps to reduce crime in what Trump described, without substantiation, as a lawless city, reported AP.This comes after Trump announced on Monday that he is placing the Washington, DC, police department under federal control and deploying the National Guard. “This is Liberation Day in DC, and we’re going to take our capital back,” Trump said at a White House press conference.The administration indicated that National Guard members were expected to begin patrolling the streets Tuesday night, as per a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Army also said that no details have been released yet regarding the specific areas the troops would cover, an anonymous source was quoted as saying by AP. The deployment resulted in 23 arrests overnight, as per White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Charges included homicide, drunk driving, gun and drug offenses, and subway fare evasion, though she did not provide additional details.Trump warned on Sunday that homeless individuals in the city would “have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” adding that they would be relocated “far from the Capital.” Over 70 homeless encampments have been removed by the US park police over the past five months, Leavitt said, reported AP.DC mayor Muriel Bowser vowed to cooperate with the federal officials assigned by Trump to oversee the city’s law enforcement, while emphasizing that the police chief would continue to lead the department and its officers. “How we got here or what we think about the circumstances, right now we have more police, and we want to make sure we use them,” she said. Official data from the US Justice Department shows that violent crime in Washington DC is at a 30-year low, but Trump disputes the figures, alleging manipulation. He also criticized a $3.1 billion renovation of the Federal Reserve headquarters, labeling it wasteful.Bowser argues that the ultimate authority lies with Trump, leaving local officials little choice but to comply and manage the situation as best as they can. She noted that as long as Washington remained a federal enclave with limited autonomy under the DC Home Rule Act, it will be vulnerable to such interventions. Trump is the first president to invoke Section 740 of the law to assume control of Washington’s police for up to 30 days during emergencies.
