National Guard Patrols Washington DC Amid Mayor’s Warning Over ‘Authoritarian’ Federal Action

Shiva K Dhakal
uknepalpress.com
National Press Corporation (NPC)
Great Britain, August 13
National Guard troops and federal agents are patrolling Washington DC after President Donald Trump ordered a security surge, asserting violent crime in the capital is “out of control.”

Around 800 troops and 500 federal officers are being deployed, with armoured vehicles and barricades appearing at key sites since Monday’s announcement. The president has also taken temporary control of the city’s police force, a move Mayor Muriel Bowser denounced as an “authoritarian push.”Federal agents have arrested 23 people for offences including homicide, gun crimes and drug trafficking. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed his agency was involved in about half the arrests.

The action follows a fatal shooting in Logan Circle on Monday — the city’s 100th homicide this year — and comes despite official figures showing violent crime fell sharply in 2024. Critics, including the DC Police Union, dispute the accuracy of those figures.

Mayor Bowser urged residents to “protect our city’s autonomy” and resist what she called federal overreach.