Enforcing Public Order and Peace in Washington D.C.
In a move aimed at addressing the rising crime rate in Washington D.C., President Donald J. Trump has issued a memorandum directing the Secretary of Defense to mobilize the District of Columbia National Guard. The memorandum, issued on August 11, 2025, indicates that the National Guard will be ordered to active service in numbers deemed necessary to restore law and order in the city.
The President's decision comes in response to concerns about crime in the District, with violent crime reportedly dropping 35% according to Metropolitan Police Department stats, but facing scrutiny after a commander was suspended for alleged data manipulation. FBI data showed a 9% drop in violent crime in 2024.
Unlike states, the District of Columbia has no governor and thus does not control its National Guard. The President exercises exclusive authority over the D.C. National Guard, allowing him to activate it without local consent, a historical precedent notably seen during the events of 2020 and January 6, 2021.
Alongside the National Guard's mobilization, President Trump issued an executive order placing the D.C. police department under federal control. This action is part of a broader assertion of federal authority over local law enforcement in D.C, meant to restore public safety amid claimed loss of local government control.
The memorandum authorizes coordination with state governors to call up more National Guard members as needed to support this mission. Approximately 800 soldiers from the D.C. National Guard have been mobilized to support law enforcement across the city.
Civil liberties advocates, notably the ACLU of D.C., have raised concerns that the President's use of unchecked power over the D.C. National Guard risks disproportionate impacts on Black, Brown, and unhoused communities. Previous deployments of the D.C. National Guard under Trump involved aggressive tactics and use of force, which led to lawsuits and public outcry.
The memorandum fits into a wider pattern of federal interventions in local policing and the use of military or National Guard forces in cities, raising debates about federal overreach, civil rights, and local governance. The memorandum explicitly states it does not create any enforceable legal rights or benefits against the United States or its agencies, emphasizing its executive nature rather than creating statutory rights.
The President's decision was further underscored by a tragic incident in June, when a Congressional intern was fatally shot a short distance from the White House. The President believes it is his duty to secure the safety and peaceful functioning of the Nation, the Federal Government, and the city. The mobilization and duty of the National Guard will remain in effect until the President determines that law and order has been restored in the District of Columbia.
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