On Saturday, several thousand Washington D.C. residents marched to demand that US President Donald Trump end the deployment of National Guard troops patrolling the capital city’s streets.
Protesters at the “We Are All DC” march, which included undocumented immigrants and supporters of Palestine, chanted slogans denouncing Trump and carried posters with messages such as “Trump must go now,” “Free DC,” and “Resist Tyranny.” Alex Laufer, a protester, stated, “I’m here to protest the occupation of DC. We’re opposing the authoritarian regime, and we need to get the federal police and the National Guard off our streets.”
Last month, claiming that crime was plaguing the city, Trump deployed troops to “re-establish law, order, and public safety.” He also placed the capital district’s Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and sent federal law enforcement personnel, including members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to patrol the city’s streets. However, Justice Department data shows that violent crime in 2024 in Washington, D.C., a self-governing federal district under the jurisdiction of the US Congress, hit a 30-year low.
The National Guard typically serves as a militia that answers to the governors of the 50 states, except when called into federal service. The D.C. National Guard reports directly to the president. A man named Casey, who declined to give his last name, said, “What they’re trying to do in DC is what they’re trying to do with other dictatorships. They’re testing DC, and if people tolerate it enough, they’re gonna do it to more and more areas. So we have to stop it while we still can.” More than 2,000 troops, including those from six Republican-led states, are currently patrolling the city. It is unclear when their mission will end, though the Army this week extended orders for the D.C. National Guard through November 30.
On Thursday, Washington D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit seeking to block the troop deployment, arguing that it was unconstitutional and violated multiple federal laws. However, some residents have welcomed the National Guard’s presence and have called for the troops to be deployed in the city’s less affluent areas, where crime is more rampant. The National Guard has been primarily visible in downtown and tourist areas. Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has praised Trump’s surge of federal law enforcement personnel into the city but hoped that the National Guard’s mission would end soon. Bowser noted a sharp decline in crime, including carjackings, since the surge began. This week, the mayor also signed an order requiring the city to coordinate with federal law enforcement.
