President Donald Trump announced the deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. with the main objective of combating crime in the nation's capital.
“The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogotá, Colombia, and Mexico City. Some places you hear about as the worst places on earth are much higher,” the president said.
The president expressed his concern, as crime rates in the nation's capital increase daily, having tripled since 2023.
“In 2023, murders probably reached their highest rate in history. They say it was 25 years ago, but they don't know what that means, because it's just going back in time. 25 years can't be worse. Our capital has been taken over by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of unruly youth, drug addicts, and homeless people,” he explained.
He also showed a graph stating that the capital currently has 27 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants,"almost double what happens in Bogotá."
President Donald Trump declared a public safety emergency and announced that Pam Bondi, head of the Department of Justice, will take over as head of the police force in Washington to reduce homicides and crime.
He also appointed Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) director Terry Cole as the city's interim police commissioner.
“I am officially invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, placing the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control,” the president added.
