US National Guard troops have begun appearing on the streets of Washington, DC, after President Donald Trump deployed troops to the city and took control of the police department, arguing that violent crime was out of control.

On Tuesday evening (Wednesday morning local time), armored vehicles were seen in city centers and tourist areas in the US capital.

An additional 800 National Guard troops are expected to be deployed, along with 500 federal law enforcement officers , officials said.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a member of the Democratic Party, denied that crime in the city was out of control and called the deployment an"authoritarian move."

Republican leader Trump has threatened similar deployments in Democratic-held New York and Chicago.

IS CRIME OUT OF CONTROL IN THE CAPITAL?

Following Trump's statement on Monday, camouflaged soldiers began arriving in the capital. They posed for photos with tourists while setting up barricades in front of some government buildings.

Press statement from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. AP

Federal agents have already arrested 23 people on Monday night, according to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. Agents are supporting local law enforcement. Leavitt said the arrests are related to homicide, weapons offenses, drug trafficking, disorderly conduct, stalking, reckless driving and other offenses.

"This is just the beginning," Leavitt said."Over the next month, the Trump administration will resolutely hunt down and arrest every violent criminal in the region who breaks the law, undermines public safety, and endangers the lives of law-abiding Americans."

FBI Director Kash Patel stated that FBI agents were involved in about half of these arrests.

Both Washington's mayor and the city's police chief said earlier in the day that they had the same target as federal agents.

HARSH CRITICISM FROM THE MAYOR

“My focus is on the federal presence and how we can make the most of the federal officers we have,” Bowser said after meeting with U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi. Washington Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith added, “We know we need to get illegal guns off our streets, and if we have this increased presence, we know it will make our city even better.”

But the mayor sharpened his criticism of Trump at a public meeting Tuesday night.

Bowser called on community members to"protect our city, protect our autonomy, protect our right to local government, and get this guy elected to a Democratic House of Representatives so we have a safeguard against this authoritarian move," according to the New York Times.

This development comes on the heels of a manhunt launched for the gunman who killed a person in Logan Circle on Monday night. Logan Circle is known as one of the trendiest areas of Washington, D.C., just a mile from the White House.

This incident was the 100th homicide recorded in the capital this year, according to local media. Police said the suspect was wearing a black T-shirt and carrying a rifle.

Following the attack, the US Secret Service increased security measures at the president's residence out of precaution.

'THEY ARE DELIBERATELY DISTORTING CRIMINAL DATA'

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Despite data showing a decline in violent crime, D.C. Police Union President Gregg Pemberton claimed that the police department"deliberately distorted crime data to create a false narrative that crime is down, while communities are suffering."

• FBI data showed a more modest 9 percent drop in crime in Washington, D.C., last year.

Studies show that the capital's murder rate is above average compared to other major U.S. cities.