By Rebecca St Fleur
Correspondent
President Donald Trump announced a “public safety emergency” on Aug. 11 and deployed 800 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. Although violent crime in the city is at a 30-year low, according to D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser, Trump maintains that the nation’s capital is in a state of “complete and total lawlessness.”
During a press conference, Trump shared his goal of cracking down on crime by getting rid of “drugged-out maniacs and homeless people” along with “violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals.”
Additionally, Republican governors from Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia have sent their own National Guard troops to assist with Trump’s endeavor.
Soon after, the National Guard began to carry firearms on the order of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Hundreds of people have been arrested following the troops’ deployment.
On Aug. 24, the New York Times detailed, “Mr. Trump ordered the deployment of troops in Washington two weeks ago, saying that they would help an array of federal agents crack down on crime in the city. But their mission remains vague, and much of the overall federal law enforcement effort has focused on low-level crimes and detention of undocumented immigrants.”
Following Trump’s mobilization of the National Guard, tent encampments throughout D.C. were completely cleared out, leaving many homeless people displaced.
A federal judge in California has already ruled against Trump in his use of the National Guard in Los Angeles in June — which the administration can appeal — but that has not stopped his efforts.
Since then, Trump has threatened to send the National Guard to many more states for various reasons, like immigration enforcement, in response to protests, or to handle violent crime.
At a press conference on Sept. 2, Trump discussed sending troops to Chicago, New Orleans and Baltimore. He also tweeted on TruthSocial, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning…’ Chicago is about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” along with an AI-generated image of himself in a cowboy hat, Chicago engulfed in flames and helicopters flying overhead.
NPR has exclusively reported, “A U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly has since confirmed to NPR that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has requested assistance from the Pentagon for ICE enforcement and removal operations in the Chicago metropolitan area.”
Trump’s federal law enforcement takeover is unprecedented, as well as the fact of how long troops have been occupying these cities.
Despite the vehement opposition of several Democratic governors and state authorities, Trump maintains that he is not doing this for political reasons and that he instead has an obligation to protect these cities.
Others are calling it an unlawful military occupation. AP News documents that “thousands of protesters marched in Chicago on Saturday against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and President Donald Trump’s plan to send National Guard troops and immigration agents to the city.”
