Deployment of Guard troops to Washington was the latest in a series of moves by Trump to push the boundaries of how U.S. troops can be deployed in American territory, The Wall Street Journal commented.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump declared on Monday a public safety emergency in Washington and ordered the deployment of the National Guard in the nation’s capital, citing what he called a surge of violent crime and urban decay.
WHAT’S THE EMERGENCY?
The order, invoking Section 740 of the Home Rule Act of 1973, temporarily placed Washington’s police department under federal control and resulted in the deployment of 800 National Guard troops.
The White House argued that Washington faces one of the highest violent crime and robbery rates among large U.S. cities, citing a 2024 homicide rate of over 27 per 100,000 residents and vehicle thefts more than three times the national average. Trump pointed to homelessness, graffiti and infrastructure neglect as threats to public safety and federal operations.
The president did not provide a timeline for the control of the police department, but he is limited to 30 days under statute unless he gets approval from Congress. The takeover could also face challenges in court.
“We’re going to take our capital back,” Trump said at a White House press conference.
He also stressed the need to clear Washington’s homeless encampments, but offered no plan for where the thousands of displaced people would go.
CRIME SURGE OR DECLINE?
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser called the president’s decision to deploy the National Guard in the capital “unsettling and unprecedented” as she sought to reassert the city government’s control over its police department.
In response to Trump’s claim that the city was “overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals,” Bowser defended the police department’s efforts, citing a 30-year low in violent crime incidents that dropped from a 2023 spike.
Homicides, assaults with dangerous weapons, and robberies in the capital are down this year when compared with this time in 2024, with violent crime declining 26 percent, according to data released by Washington’s police department.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb called the administration’s actions “unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful.”
“We are considering all of our options and will do what is necessary to protect the rights and safety of District residents,” Schwalb said in a post on X.
Democrats have been quick to condemn Trump’s action as a power grab, a distraction and a violation of the capital’s sovereignty. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin slammed the president’s move as “political theater,” saying he’s ignoring the progress the city has made in reducing crime.
OVERUSE MILITARY FORCE?
Although the 1973 Act granted D.C. more authority over its own affairs, the president retains the power to deploy the National Guard in the city.
Trump’s administration exercised that authority during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, when Guard members were later criticized for flying a helicopter dangerously low over demonstrators. The Guard was also mobilized on Jan. 6, 2021, as Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
The move in Washington comes as the legal battle continues over Trump’s deployment of the Guard in Los Angeles this summer, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement-led mass immigration raids sparked unrest and protests.
The act also allows Trump to take over Washington’s police department for up to 30 days if he notifies certain heads of congressional committees. Bowser said the arrangement compels her to follow federal directives, but she stressed that granting Washington statehood — a cause city leaders have pursued for decades — would possibly block such federal takeovers in the future.
Deployment of Guard troops to Washington was the latest in a series of moves by Trump to push the boundaries of how U.S. troops can be deployed in American territory, triggering a fierce legal debate over the U.S. military’s expanding footprint at home, The Wall Street Journal commented.■
