 "Despite a backdown deal, Trump deploys hundreds more National Guard troops in Washington DC")
Tensions in the capital of the United States continue to escalate as US President Donald Trump’s administration deploys hundreds of National Guard Troops in Washington, DC . Over the weekend, three states have moved to deploy hundreds of members of their national guard to the nation’s capital in a bid to support Trump’s crackdown on the capital.
The state of West Virginia announced it would deploy 300 to 400 guard troops, while South Carolina pledged 200, and Ohio stated it would send 150 in the coming days. The move came on Saturday as protesters pushed back on federal law enforcement and National Guard troops stationed in a heavily Democratic city.
Earlier this month, the American president launched the “ Making D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force ,” under which he deployed approximately 800 National Guard troops to the streets of Washington. “Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals," he declared while announcing the initiative.
Trump later upped the stakes by declaring federal control of the district’s police department and naming an emergency chief. This eventually set off alarms and prompted Washington, DC officials to sue the Trump administration and stop the effort. “I have never seen a single government action that would cause a greater threat to law and order than this dangerous directive,” Police Chief Pamela Smith said at that time.
Trump continues with his crackdown despite the compromise
On Friday, the Trump administration had to partially retreat from its efforts to seize control of the Metropolitan Police Department. This was done after a judge, sceptical that the president had the authority to do what he tried to do, urged both sides to reach a compromise, which they did — at least for now.
Trump’s Department of Justice, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, eventually agreed to leave Smith in control, while still intending to instruct her department on law enforcement practices. Bondi went on to send a memo in which she directed the city force to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsLocal officials and the people living in the state did not like the National Guard deployment. This was the first time an American president attempted to seize formal control of the police department since DC gained a partial measure of autonomy in the Home Rule Act of 1973, which was the red line.
So is Washington in a state of emergency?
It is important to note that crime in DC has fallen from its 2023 highs, but even in crime-plagued neighbourhoods, residents say they don’t trust Trump’s approach. Hence, against this backdrop, Philadelphia’s top prosecutor, District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, assailed Trump’s moves in Washington.
“You’re talking about an emergency, really?” Krasner said, as if speaking with the president. “Or is it that you’re talking about an emergency because you want to pretend everything is an emergency so that you can roll tanks?” Meanwhile, a coalition of activists called Not Above the Law denounced what they saw as just the latest step by Trump to seize levers of power he has no business grasping.
“The onslaught of lawlessness and autocratic activities has escalated,” Lisa Gilbert, co-chair of the group and co-president of Public Citizen, told The Associated Press. “The last two weeks should have crystallised for all Americans that Donald Trump will not stop until democracy is replaced by vindictive authoritarian rule.”
Officials in Democrat-run cities worry the DC model could become a template for “how cities are policed, cleaned up and run, or ruined,” The Associated Press wrote.
With inputs from The Associated Press.
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