Latest news with #HomeRuleActof1973
NZ Herald
37 minutes ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
FBI moves to dispatch 120 agents to streets of US capital as Trump vows crackdown on crime
And it comes as Trump is publicly portraying the city as rampant with violent crime - even as the mayor refutes that characterisation, pointing to police data showing a drop in violent crime. Last week, Trump ordered federal law enforcement agents from several agencies to be deployed on city streets and called for more juveniles to be charged in the adult justice system. Staffing assignments this weekend reveal for the first time how many new FBI resources the Trump Administration could divert to local crime and the frustration it has caused within the bureau. In recent days, the Administration has authorised up to 120 agents, largely from the FBI's Washington field office, to work overnight shifts for at least one week alongside DC police and other federal law enforcement officers in the capital, according to the people familiar with those efforts. FBI agents generally do not have authority to make traffic stops, and the people said the agents' roles could include supporting the other agencies during traffic stops. The FBI also is dispatching agents from outside DC, including Philadelphia, to help with the surge of federal law enforcement in the district, according to multiple people familiar with the plans. Federal land is scattered across Washington, and local enforcement often works alongside federal law enforcement to patrol these and surrounding areas. The US Park Police and Secret Service - which have more experience patrolling streets - typically do this work, not the FBI. The Secret Service and the US Secret Service Uniformed Division have also been directed to launch special patrols in DC, according to a White House official. The Trump Administration has not asked the DC police department - the chief law enforcement agency responsible for policing local crime - on how best to deploy these federal resources, according to a senior official with the department. Because DC is not a state, the federal government has unique authority to exert control over the city - even amid objections from the residents and locally elected government. The Home Rule Act of 1973 gave DC residents the ability to elect their own mayor and council members. A federal takeover of the DC police force would be an extraordinary assertion of power in a place where local leaders have few avenues to resist federal encroachment. 'Agents from the FBI Washington field office continue to participate in the increased federal law enforcement presence in DC, which includes assisting our law enforcement partners,' the FBI said. Trump has been ramping up his criticisms on the capital in recent days. Last week, the President posted on social media a photo of a former US Doge Service staffer who was injured in an attempted carjacking. Soon after the attack, DC police arrested a 15-year-old boy and girl from Maryland and charged them with unarmed carjacking. 'I'm going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before,' Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. 'It's all going to happen very fast, just like the Border.' In a different social media post, Trump said the White House news conference tomorrow NZT will be about the city's cleanliness, its physical renovation, and its general condition. 'The Mayor of DC, Muriel Bowser, is a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the Crime Numbers get worse, and the City only gets dirtier and less attractive,' Trump said in the post. Bowser (Democrat) has been pushing back against Trump's characterisation of the city she leads, pointing out on MSNBC that crime rates have been dropping. In DC, violent crime is down by 26% compared with this time in 2024, according to DC police data. Homicides are down by 12%. DC police have made about 900 juvenile arrests this year - almost 20% fewer than during the same time frame last year. About 200 of those charges are for violent crimes and at least four dozen are for carjacking. 'If the priority is to show force in an American city, we know he can do that here,' Bowser, who said she last spoke to Trump a few weeks ago, said on MSNBC. 'But it won't be because there's a spike in crime.' The reassignment of FBI agents has further demoralised some agents in the Washington field office, who believe they have little expertise or training in thwarting carjackers and were already angered by a spate of firings inside the agency that they deemed were unwarranted. Last week, the Trump Administration ousted with no explanation FBI personnel across the country, including the head of the Washington field office. In 2020, the first Trump Administration dispatched FBI agents, mostly from the Washington field office, to respond to the racial justice protests that June in the city. The Trump Administration had wanted a federal presence in the streets as a deterrent to rioters or protesters who might try to vandalise federal property. Several agents were captured in a photograph taking a knee in what was viewed as a gesture of solidarity to protesters marching against racial injustice - an image that went viral and fuelled accusations from conservatives that the bureau harbours a liberal agenda. People familiar with the FBI have said agents are not trained for riot control and were placed in an untenable position as they knelt down, trying to defuse a tense situation. In the first months of the current Trump Administration, officials reassigned several of those agents who were captured in that photo from nearly five years ago. 'If DC 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 wrote on social media last week in a post that included a bloody image of the injured former Doge staffer. This northern spring, Trump ordered the creation of the 'DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force', a vehicle for his long-held fixations on quality-of-life issues in the city, including homeless encampments and graffiti. Today, homeless advocates and DC residents criticised Trump's threats to remove homeless people from DC as inhumane, costly, and impractical. 'That money could be better spent getting folks housing and support' Jesse Rabinowitz, campaign and communications director at the National Homelessness Law Centre, said of the federal law enforcement presence in the district. Deborah Goosby, a 67-year-old homeless woman, sat in her usual spot greeting shoppers outside a DC grocery store. 'That's never going to happen,' she said after hearing that Trump wanted to send people experiencing homelessness far from the nation's capital. 'They can't make me leave.'
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Donald Trump urgently orders homeless to leave Washington DC after golf course drive
Donald Trump urgently orders homeless to leave Washington DC after golf course drive (Image via Getty) On Sunday, August 10, 2025, President Donald Trump told homeless people in Washington DC to 'move out immediately' or face eviction. He made this post on his Truth Social account while traveling from the White House to his golf course in Virginia. He saw people lying homeless and immediately passed the order. Trump also promised to send federal officers to arrest criminals in the capital, even though official police numbers show violent crime is at its lowest in more than 30 years. President Donald Trump orders homeless to leave Washington DC immediately Donald Trump's post on Truth Social included four photos taken from his motorcade. Two pictures showed about 10 tents on the grass near a highway ramp a little over a mile from the White House. Another showed a person sleeping on the steps of a building on Constitution Avenue. One more photo showed a road with some litter near the Kennedy Center. — jeremyfromga (@jeremyfromga) In his post, Donald Trump wrote, 'We will give you places to stay, but far from the Capital.' He said the target was to improve the safety and cleanliness of Washington DC. Moreover, he revealed that he would address crime prevention and city cleanup at a news conference on Monday at 10 a. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like They Were So Beautiful Before; Now Look At Them; Number 10 Will Shock You Reportingly Undo Donald Trump has already sent hundreds of federal agents to patrol Washington DC. But the Metropolitan Police Department says violent crime in 2024 dropped 35% compared to 2023, and is down another 26% in 2025 so far. Also Read: 'More Than Any American Culture': Martina Navratilova Once Shared How Chris Evert's Catholic Upbringing Shaped Her Tennis Image Mayor Muriel Bowser and Eleanor Holmes Norton challenge Donald Trump's eviction plan Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser told MSNBC that there is no crime wave in the city. 'We have been driving down violent crime for two years,' she said, adding that the current numbers are the lowest in decades. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the city's nonvoting delegate in Congress, called Trump's words 'misguided and offensive' to the more than 700,000 residents of Washington DC. She said locals are 'worthy and capable' of running their own city without interference from federal officials. The Free DC movement has planned a protest to happen at the same time as Trump's Monday news conference. Legal experts say Trump may only control federal land and buildings in Washington DC. Most city decisions are handled by local leaders under the Home Rule Act of 1973, which was signed by President Richard Nixon. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump takes on DC: What's next in the battle?
President Trump has moved to increase the number of federal law enforcement on the streets of Washington D.C. — a decision he casts as necessary to combat crime. It's a move widely seen as a rebuke to the District's leadership, including Mayor Muriel Bowser (D). A lot of specifics are as yet undecided, including the total number of additional federal law enforcement officers who will be deployed, and their exact locations. The White House cited security concerns as the reason not to divulge those details. However, White House officials say that an increased law enforcement presence will be seen on D.C.'s streets. This is expected to be present mainly late at night. The effort is being spearheaded by the U.S. Park Police but also involves numerous other agencies including the Capitol Police, the FBI, the Marshals Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that while Washington is 'an amazing city' it 'has been plagued by violent crime for far too long.' She also said that Trump was 'committed' to making D.C. 'safer for its residents, lawmakers and visitors from all around the world.' The idea of a crime crisis in Washington is belied by crime statistics from the city police, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Those statistics show violent crime so far this year down 26 percent from its 2024 levels. The crime levels in 2024 were, in turn, lower than in 2023. The key question now is, what's next? Does Trump extend the use of federal law enforcement? A White House official describes the current push as one that will 'be beginning as a 7-day effort with the option to extend as needed.' The framing invites a number of other questions —particularly, what difference are federal law enforcement personnel likely to make in a week? The situation in D.C., after all, is not one where there is a riotous situation to quell or widespread disorder stemming from any specific cause. The haziness around the objectives may make a further extension of the federal role more likely. Trump would, presumably, justify such a move on the basis that there was still more work to be done. But multiple reports from the hours after Trump's announcement, when there was supposed to be an increased federal law enforcement presence, did not reveal anything out of the ordinary. An Associated Press report, for example, noted that 'a two-hour tour of the D.C. streets, starting around 1 a.m. Friday, revealed no evidence of the sort of multi-agency flood of uniformed personnel described in Trump's announcement.' Could Trump take over the D.C. police? The short answer is, yes. The bigger question is whether he would want to do so. The District enjoys its current measure of autonomy because of the Home Rule Act of 1973. The legislation reserves some powers for Congress and for the president. Section 740 of the Act notes that if a President 'determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist,' then the D.C. mayor must lend him 'such services of the Metropolitan Police Force as the President may deem necessary and appropriate.' There are some caveats to this power, however. In the first instance, a president cannot take over those powers for longer than 48 hours unless, during that period, he provides a written explanation of his reasons to Congress — or, more specifically, to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate and House committees that pertain to D.C. Trump, however, could likely satisfy this requirement, given the GOP majorities in both chambers. The more salient constraint, therefore, might be the fact that there is a 30-day limit on this power, even if congressional notification is provided. Politically speaking, there is also a question of whether Trump would want to make such a dramatic move. Washington is a very Democratic city — Vice President Harris got more than 90 percent of the vote last November — and reaction to Trump seizing the reins of the local police would surely be negative. How about the National Guard? Here, again, Trump has lots of remove to maneuver. The District of Columbia National Guard can be directed at the behest of the president, in contrast to full states where the power to deploy the Guard resides with the governor. The D.C. National Guard has been at pains to point out that it has not, as yet, been deployed. A spokesperson for the D.C. Guard told CNN on Friday that the force has not been activated and that any 'presence of National Guardsmen and vehicles seen this week and throughout the weekend are related to required training.' What could go wrong? Quite a lot. For a start, Trump could get into more of a pitched battle with Bowser. The mayor has pursued a much more conciliatory approach toward Trump during his second term than she did during his first. She has been supportive of a task force he set up in March and has refrained from comment on his latest moves. That's partly a testament to D.C.'s dependence upon the federal government in numerous ways. Congress in effect withheld $1.1 billion from the District's budget earlier this year. The federal workforce is of enormous economic importance to the overall D.C. area. But whether Bowser can remain quiet if Trump expands his control over D.C. is highly questionable. Washingtonians are already sensitive about their circumscribed rights. There are more macabre things that could go wrong too. Any especially egregious violent crime could make Trump more insistent on federal control. Conversely, any excessive force used against D.C. residents by federal personnel deployed by Trump could ignite new tensions. Can Trump repeal Home Rule itself? Realistically, no. Doing this would require repealing the legislation. The House might go along with that, but Trump would need 60 votes in the Senate. Even if every Republican voted in favor, he would still need the backing of seven Democrats — a highly unlikely scenario.
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Trump Orders Increased Federal Law Enforcement Presence in Washington to ‘Make DC Safe Again'
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Thursday night that there will be increased presence of federal law enforcement in the nation's capital to combat crime for at least the next week, amid President Donald Trump 's suggestions that his administration could fully take over running the city. 'Washington, DC 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.' She added that the increased federal presence means 'there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C.' Trump has repeatedly suggested that the rule of Washington could be returned to federal authorities. Doing so would require a repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973 in Congress, a step Trump said lawyers are examining — but could face steep pushback. 'We have a capital that's very unsafe,' Trump told reporters at the White House this week. 'We have to run D.C.' The White House said the increased law enforcement would 'make D.C. safe again' and would be present on the streets starting at midnight — led by U.S. Park Police following an 11 p.m. Thursday roll call at an established command center. The push will last the next seven days with the option to extend 'as needed,' under the authority of Trump's previous executive order establishing the Making DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force. The added federal officials will be identified, in marked units and highly visible, the White House said. Participating law enforcement include personnel from the U.S. Capitol Police, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Protective Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. The police forces for Amtrak and the city's Metro rail service are also involved. However a two-hour tour of the D.C. streets, starting around 1 a.m. Friday, revealed no evidence of the sort of multi-agency flood of uniformed personnel described in Trump's announcement. There was a robust, but not unusual, Metropolitan Police Department presence in late-night hot spots like 14th Street and along Florida Avenue. But there was no overt or visible law enforcement presence other than the MPD. Trump has long suggested crime and violence is on the rise in Washington, and has lately begun to criticize things like litter and graffiti. But the catalyst for the order to increase police presence was the assault last weekend on a high-profile member of the Department of Government Efficiency by a group of teenagers in an attempted carjacking. The victim, Edward Coristine, nicknamed 'Big Balls,' was among the most visible figures of DOGE, which was tasked with cutting jobs and slashing the federal bureaucracy. Police arrested two 15-year-olds and say they're still looking for other members of the group. '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 posted on Truth Social earlier this week. The president subsequently said he was considering repealing Washington's limited Home Rule autonomy or 'bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly.' Thursday's announcement comes as Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser's government can claim to have reduced the number of homicides and carjackings — both of which spiked citywide in 2023. Carjackings in Washington overall dropped significantly the following year in 2024, from 957 to just under 500, and the number is on track to decline again this year — with less than 200 recorded so far more than halfway through 2025.
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
The Latest: Trump orders federal law enforcers onto streets of Washington, D.C.
With President Donald Trump calling for a federal takeover of the nation's capital city, the White House says there will be an increased presence of federal law enforcement on the streets of Washington, D.C., for at least the next week. 'We have to run D.C.,' Trump told reporters. But doing so would require a repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973 in Congress and could face steep pushback. This was prompted by the attempted carjacking of a DOGE employee nicknamed 'Big Balls' by a group of teenagers. Carjackings and homicides are actually down sharply in D.C. after spiking in 2023.
