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Casablanca – US President Donald Trump announced on Monday his decision to place Washington DC’s police force under direct federal control and deploy the National Guard to the city, describing the move as a “historic action” to tackle crime and homelessness.
Speaking from the White House, Trump invoked a rarely used provision of the DC Home Rule Act to justify the federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department, a measure that usually lasts 48 hours but which the president suggested could be extended.
“This is Liberation Day in DC, and we’re going to take our capital back,” Trump declared, accusing local authorities and prosecutors of being too lenient.
The decision comes despite data showing violent crime in Washington dropped to a 30-year low in 2024. The city’s Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, has pushed back strongly, saying: “We are not experiencing a crime spike.”
Trump said his administration would remove homeless encampments from the city, relocating people to areas “far from the capital” and providing “places to stay.” Critics say such measures echo his immigration policies, including mass deportations and military deployments in US cities.
Read also: LA Police Crack Down on Pro-Immigration Protests
Accompanied by Attorney General Pam Bondi, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel, and newly appointed US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro, Trump vowed an aggressive law enforcement campaign allegedly targeting gangs, drug dealers, and organized crime.
Mayor Bowser has argued that the conditions required for such federal intervention do not currently exist. With the 2024 crime figures showing historic lows, Trump’s unprecedented action appears as much a political statement of force as a security measure.
‘We won’t take this sitting down’
Many locals in alarm are pushing back against the maneuver, including the FreeDC activist group, which is organizing a series of demonstrations to push back against what they call a police “occupation” of their city.
Samantha Millar, a FreeDC member and long-time resident of DC shared her perspective on Trump’s recent crackdown.
“DC has been through so much as a city – the people here are used to fighting for rights. The national guard has been deployed two times just in the seven or so years that I’ve been here,” she told Morocco World News. “That’s not to say this isn’t a clear sign of an authoritarian power grab, but it is to say that I have immense pride, faith and respect for my DC friends and neighbors. We won’t take this sitting down.”
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