President Trump increases federal law enforcement presence in DC following violent crime surge
Trump signed an executive order in March establishing the "Making DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force." Now the administration is taking a whole-of-government approach by deploying additional law enforcement to increase presence and improve overall public safety in the nation's capital city, according to a source familiar with the plans.
The operation, which will use both local and federal law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, DEA and others, begins at midnight on Thursday and will initially last for seven days with the option to extend "as needed."
Law enforcement will focus on improving safety in high-traffic tourist areas and other known hotspots.
In a statement to Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced "there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C." beginning on Thursday night.
"Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long," Leavitt said. "President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C."
She added, "President Trump is committed to making our Nation's capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world."
The source familiar with the plans noted that stamping out the "out-of-control violent crime plaguing DC" has been an "ongoing priority" for the president and that the move is him delivering on his campaign promise to restore the capital city.
Among the priorities laid out in Trump's executive order, he directed the task force to deploy a more robust federal law enforcement presence and coordinate with local law enforcement in the District of Columbia, including the National Mall and Memorial Parks, museums, monuments, Lafayette Park, Union Station, Rock Creek Park, Anacostia Park, the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the Suitland Parkway, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
The order also instructs the task force to review and, if needed, revise federal prosecutorial policies on pretrial detention of criminal defendants to ensure individuals who pose a threat to public safety are detained to the maximum extent permitted by law.
Additionally, the order instructs the task force to direct maximum enforcement of federal immigration law, redirecting federal, state or local law enforcement resources to apprehend and deport illegals throughout the area.
The source said the additional law enforcement will be devoted to protecting D.C. residents and visitors from the "scourge of violent crime plaguing" the city.
"President Trump promised to Make DC Safe Again on the campaign trail – this is another promise kept," they said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
a few seconds ago
- USA Today
President Trump orders federal law enforcement officers to patrol Washington, D.C. streets
President Trump's order to federal agents came just days after a high-profile former DOGE staffer was assaulted by a group of teenagers in Washington, D.C., during an attempted carjacking. WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump ordered an increased federal law enforcement presence across the streets of Washington, D.C. for the next week as he railed against the city's crime rate and continued to float a federal takeover of the nation's capital. Trump directed the unspecified number of federal agents on the night of Thursday Aug. 7, just days after an assault on a high-profile staffer of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old nicknamed "Big Balls," was attacked by a group of teenagers during an early morning attempted carjacking last weekend. "The Crime situation in Washington, just like our Southern Border where ZERO Illegals entered in the last three months, will be a safe place very soon," Trump said in an Aug. 7 social media post that highlighted the attack on Coristine. "Thank you for your bravery and heart." More: Early DOGE staffer assaulted in DC during attempted carjacking Federal law enforcement officials will concentrate in high-trafficked tourist areas and "other known hotspots," the White House said. It will begin as a seven-day effort with an option for Trump to extend "as needed." The additional federal officers are to be identified in marked units, according to the White House. The move follows an executive order Trump signed in March that established a "Making D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force" composed of federal department heads who were instructed to "maximize resources" to make the District of Columbia safe. 'Washington, D.C. is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. "President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. There will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C." Leavitt added that Trump is "committed to making our Nation's capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world." A spokeswoman for Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declined to comment. The White House pointed to several examples of violent crime in Washington this year including the May 21 fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers outside a downtown museum (The suspect is from Chicago.) as well as the recent assault on Coristine. Nevertheless, Washington's crime rate is down this year compared to 2024. Violent crimes are 26% lower than last year. Homicides are down 12%, according to statistics compiled by the Metropolitian Police Department. Crime in Washington also fell from 2023 to 2024, with homicides dropping from 274 to 187. Carjacking declined about 50% but were still above pre-pandemic levels, according to the Washington Post. More: Trump says feds should 'take over' and govern Washington, D.C. Trump has long denigrated Washington, D.C, which leans heavily Democratic. Earlier in the week, Trump threatened to take over governance of the district if the crime situation isn't improved ‒ something he floated previously in February. "If D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they're not going to get away with it anymore," Trump said in an Aug. 5 post on Truth Social. Such action would require approval by Congress. The District of Columbia is a federal enclave under jurisdiction of the U.S. government. The District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 gave the city local governance, including an elected mayor and city council. Two congressional Republicans, Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, this month introduced legislation to repeal the Home Rule Act. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
Miami Herald
a few seconds ago
- Miami Herald
Trump deploys federal agents to beef up Washington police presence
Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Federal law enforcement agencies began patrolling Washington on Friday morning, after President Donald Trump said this week that crime in the nation's capital is "out of control." The federal policing began at 12:01 a.m. EDT Friday. The new patrols are led by the U.S. Park Police, and will include agents from the U.S. Capitol Police, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, D.C. Metropolitan Police, Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies. "President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C. President Trump is committed to making our nation's capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. The order was announced just hours before the effort was to begin. Trump has been focused on youth crime in the district after a couple of high-profile incidents. On Sunday evening, a former DOGE employee was allegedly attacked near his car in the district, drawing criticism from the president. Police arrested two 15-year-olds the next day It also follows the shooting deaths of two Israeli Embassy workers in May. While these two events have gotten lots of attention in media reports, crime in Washington is actually down. In 2024, violent crime was at a 30-year low, according to federal data, and is down another 26% this year, according to the D.C. Police. But issues with violence in the city are not new. In 2023, the district had the third-highest rate of gun homicides among cities with more than 500,000 people, just behind Memphis and Baltimore, according to Everytown for Gun Safety data. The policing effort is part of the president's "Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful," an executive order announced in March. The order wants to ensure "all applicable quality of life, nuisance, and public-safety laws are strictly enforced," including crimes involving assault, battery, larceny, graffiti, public intoxication and more. Though Trump has mentioned the National Guard in the past, it wasn't immediately clear if it would be involved in this effort. "We're going to beautify the city. We're going to make it beautiful. And what a shame, the rate of crime, the rate of muggings, killings and everything else. We're not going to let it, and that includes bringing in the National Guard maybe very quickly too," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "I think that we should govern District of Columbia. It's so important, the D.C. situation. I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One in February, CNN reported. On Tuesday, Trump wrote in a social media post that teens in the district are too unafraid of consequences. "They are not afraid of Law Enforcement. Because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it's going to happen now!" Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Bloomberg
2 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Carney Is Patching Up Ties With Mexico in Face of Trump Threats
Canada is working to reset its ties with Mexico as Donald Trump threatens his neighbors with punishing US tariffs ahead of a planned review of the North American free-trade pact. Prime Minister Mark Carney sent his top diplomat and finance chief to the Mexican capital this week, where they met with President Claudia Sheinbaum and her officials, as well as corporate executives.
