US President Donald Trump is expected to activate hundreds of National Guard troops for Washington, DC, Reuters reported on Monday, citing official, who said that the final numbers as well as what role they could play are still being decided.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one of the officials said it was that while it was unclear what exactly the troops would do, they could take part in efforts to protect federal agents or even carry out administrative tasks to free up law enforcement officials.
The deployment of the troops in Washington, if and when that happens, comes after Trump used the California National Guard, which is controlled by that state’s governor, to counter the immigration raids in Los Angeles in June.
On Sunday, Washington DC mayor Muriel Bowser said it was the President Trump’s prerogative to call out the DC National Guard, which he controls.
“I’m concerned about them not being used efficiently,” said Bowser, who highlighted the drop in violent crime. “And I just think that’s not the most efficient use of our guard,” Bowser said in an interview that aired Sunday on MSNBC’s The Weekend.
‘Homeless have to move out’, says Trump
Donald Trump on Sunday vowed to evict homeless people from Washington and jail criminals, despite Washington’s mayor arguing there is no current spike in crime.
“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong,” Trump posted on the Truth Social platform.
The White House, however, declined to explain what legal authority Trump, who controls only federal land and buildings in the city, would use to evict people from Washington.
Trump is reportedly planning to address a press conference on Monday to “stop violent crime in Washington, DC”.
DC mayor Bowser said in the MSNBC interview that 450 federal law enforcement officers spread out across DC on Saturday night encountered no violent crime, but seized several handguns and made arrests for traffic violations.
Trump, calling DC mayor Bowser “a good person who has tried”, said she has “been given many chances, and the Crime Numbers get worse, and the City only gets dirtier and less attractive.”
