Democrats fret about which city may be next as National Guard gathers in U.S. capital

U.S. President Donald Trump has deployed 800 National Guard troops and about 500 federal law enforcement agents to Washington, D.C., for a 30-day anti-crime operation, despite city data showing violent crime is at historic lows. The troops, who will not have arrest powers and will remain unarmed but keep firearms nearby, are intended to support local police. Mayor Muriel Bowser, while previously calling the move “unsettling,” said she hopes the extra personnel will help reduce crime.

Democrats and civil rights groups, including the ACLU, criticized the move as political theater, warning it could set a precedent for deploying troops in other cities. Trump has suggested similar actions in Democratic-led cities like Chicago and New York, both of which have recently seen significant declines in violent crime. The deployment comes amid legal challenges over Trump’s federalization of state National Guards without governors’ consent, a practice not seen since the Civil Rights era. Critics say the strategy is politically motivated and ignores existing local efforts to curb crime.

Credit: CGTN