US President Donald Trump decided to put Washington DC , the US capital, under federal control, and announced the deployment of 800 members of the National Guard, after criticizing that the rate of violence is worse than in Mexico City, “one of the worst places in the world.”
In a press conference, Trump said, “I am officially invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act , you know what that is, and placing the DC Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control.”
The president stressed that the violence"is out of control, but we're going to get it under control very quickly, just as we did on the southern border."
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According to Trump, the crime rate in DC is twice that of Baghdad, and also exceeds that of Bogotá, Colombia; Lima, Peru; and Mexico City, calling them “the worst places in the world to live.” He then asked, “Would you like to live there? I don’t think so.”
He stated that"I will be deploying the National Guard to help restore law, order, and public safety in Washington, D.C., and they will be allowed to do their job properly," Trump added, warning that this is just the"beginning," because he also intends to do the same in other states where, he said, violence is out of control.
“This is an emergency,” he said. “It’s shameful to be here. I have a meeting with [Russian President] Vladimir Putin on Friday, and I have to be here to talk about how dirty and violent a once beautiful city has become.”
“Today we are declaring a Public Safety Emergency in the District of Columbia,” Trump said, noting that he will notify Congress of his decision.
He stated that DC “will no longer be a sanctuary for illegal criminals” and that people will “feel safe again.”
He indicated that operations against criminals, against"people who arrived illegally," and against "bad people who grew up here" will begin "immediately."
Change in DC isn't just about violence, Trump said."We're also talking about beautification. We're potentially the most beautiful capital in the world," he said.
"But people come from Iowa, they come from Indiana, they come and then they get robbed. That's not going to happen," Trump said, assuring that he will"clean up" the US capital.
Trump added: “Very soon, we’re going to replace the medians that are falling down all over the highways. We’re going to fix the potholes. We’re going to put a new layer of asphalt over it. No, we don’t have to rip up the road and spend seven years building a new one.”
Trump to nominate Terry Cole as federal police commissioner for Washington, D.C.
The president announced that he will name the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Terry Cole, as interim federal commissioner of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department. He described Cole as one of the “best in the country” and asked him to lead the department with a “firm hand.”
The Secretary of Defense announced that the National Guard will be deployed to DC next week. He compared the situation to the southern border with Mexico, where, he said, thanks to the presence of the National Guard and law enforcement officers,"illegal crossings have dropped to zero."
“Crime in DC stops, and it stops today,” warned U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. “There will be no more violence in the city; there will be no more cases of young people beating a disabled person to death. We are going to make DC safe and beautiful again.”
Trump said that operations"against the bad guys" began over the weekend. He noted that homeless people are being removed from parks and public places."We're removing the encampments. There are plenty of places for them to go. The Capitol will not be a dumping ground."
Trump warned that he will send the army to Washington, D.C., if necessary, to carry out his orders to improve security in the city.
"We'll send the army if necessary. By the way, we'll have the National Guard... we'll send the army if necessary," he insisted.
A"disturbing and unprecedented" measure: Bowser
Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser questioned the effectiveness of using the Guard to enforce city laws and said the federal government could be far more helpful by funding more prosecutors or filling the 15 vacancies on the D.C. Superior Court, some of which have been open for years.
Bowser cannot activate the National Guard herself, but she can submit a request to the Pentagon.
"I just don't think it's the most efficient use of our Guard," he said Sunday on MSNBC's "The Weekend," acknowledging that it's "the president's decision how to deploy the Guard."
He called Trump's move "disturbing and unprecedented."
However, he clarified that his administration will collaborate with Trump's.
