Trump Pushes FBI Surge, National Guard Threat, and Homeless Sweeps in D.C., Mayor Says Crime Is Already Down

President Donald Trump has escalated federal involvement in Washington, D.C.’s local crime response, following through on his threat to deploy federal agents and assume partial control of city governance. Up to 120 FBI agents — some drawn from counterintelligence and public corruption units with little street-level policing experience — are now patrolling overnight alongside D.C. police. Trump has likened the operation to his immigration crackdowns, declaring, “There will be no ‘MR. NICE GUY.’ We want our Capital BACK,” and vowing to forcibly remove the city’s unhoused population.

Mayor Muriel Bowser has condemned the intervention, noting that violent crime is already down 26% compared to last year, with homicides down 12% and juvenile arrests 20% lower. She characterized the move as an effort to “show force in an American city” rather than respond to data-driven realities. Critics warn that assigning FBI agents unfamiliar with traffic stops or carjacking responses risks dangerous encounters. A senior D.C. police official added that the administration imposed the operation without consulting the department, raising concerns about coordination and safety.

The deployment has drawn direct comparisons to 2020, when Trump sent federal agents to racial justice protests in D.C., an action widely seen as politically motivated. Several agents who were photographed kneeling with protesters have since been reassigned, fueling suspicions of retaliation. The current reassignment has demoralized FBI personnel, compounded by unexplained firings, including the ousting of the Washington Field Office head.

For communities of color in D.C., the move represents a familiar pattern of federal power overriding local autonomy. D.C.’s lack of statehood leaves residents with limited ability to resist such actions, despite electing their own leaders under the Home Rule Act. Local advocates fear heightened surveillance, aggressive policing of youth, and displacement of vulnerable residents. “The funds for these operations could be better spent getting folks housing and support,” argued Jesse Rabinowitz of the National Homelessness Law Center.

Trump has promised results “very fast, just like the Border.” But many residents and leaders insist that addressing poverty, housing instability, and opportunity gaps is a more effective path to safety. For them, the issue is not crime rates but control — who shapes D.C.’s future and whose voices are ignored in the process.

Link: Washington Post