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U.S. National Guard troops have arrived in Washington, D.C., following President Donald Trump’s order to move the city under federal authority on Monday.
As reported by RSBN, Trump announced on Monday that he would invoke the D.C. Home Rule Act to place the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under federal control. He also announced the deployment of the U.S. National Guard.
These actions are aimed at assuaging rising crime, according to the president.
“I’m announcing a historic action to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor, and worse. This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back,” he stated.
On Tuesday, troops began arriving in D.C.
Footage on social media showed National Guard members rolling into the District of Columbia, weighed down with heavy duffel bags, confirming Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s promise that guardsmen would arrive in the city in the “coming week.”
According to the Associated Press, a total of 800 National Guard members have been deployed by Trump to assist in local law enforcement operations with the Metropolitan Police Department.
On Monday, some protestors walked the streets in Washington, D.C., to oppose the president’s actions. Protestors were seen holding signs criticizing ICE and President Trump. “Trump Must Go Now!” several signs read.
Regardless, National Guard deployment has continued as planned. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi – who is temporarily overseeing the D.C. Metro Police Department at the order of the president – said Tuesday that she had concluded a “productive meeting” with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
“We agreed that there is nothing more important than keeping residents and tourists in Washington, D.C. safe from deadly crime. At President Trump’s direction, @TheJusticeDept will work closely with D.C. city government and @DCPoliceDept to make Washington, D.C. safe again,” Bondi stated.