On Tuesday, August 19th, with the National Guard from several states in the United States deploying to Washington DC to assist the federal government in combating crime and apprehending illegal immigrants, the crime reports in Washington DC for this week have decreased by about 8% compared to the previous week.
President Trump announced on Tuesday via social media that the recent actions “may have” transformed Washington DC from “the most unsafe city in America to the safest city, and it’s getting better every hour!”
The White House stated that since the federal operation began on August 7th, 465 individuals have been arrested, including 206 illegal immigrants. According to data from the Metropolitan Police Department, the crime reports for this week have decreased by approximately 8% compared to the previous week.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed that President Trump “always stands up unequivocally to protect the safety of law-abiding American citizens.”
President Trump signed an executive order on August 11th, placing the DC Police Department under federal control for 30 days. An extension will require approval from Congress.
The Trump administration has requested states governed by Republicans to send more National Guard troops. Currently, a total of 1,100 troops have been deployed, including 800 from the Washington DC Guard.
The Joint Task Force District of Columbia (JTF-DC) stated that National Guard members from West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana began arriving in Washington DC on Tuesday to assist in crime-fighting operations. JTF-DC mentioned that the missions undertaken by these National Guard units are similar to those of the DC National Guard members, which include protecting landmarks and crowd control.
Ohio and Tennessee have also announced plans to dispatch their Guard units.
On Tuesday, Democratic Congressman Sam Liccardo from California introduced a bill demanding law enforcement agencies to submit a report outlining the costs and legal basis for deploying the National Guard, as well as detailing interactions between the Guard and civilians, among other aspects.
He questioned, “Are Los Angeles and Washington DC test cases for broader authoritarian takeovers of local communities?”
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson stated, “Democrats continue to stand with criminals, rather than with law-abiding Americans.”
(Reference: Associated Press)