Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Aug. 27 that crime has decreased since President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops to the city and took federal control of the local police department.
Bowser told reporters during an update on the enforcement surge that she and her officials “greatly appreciate” the added presence of law enforcement, noting that in just 20 days, the number of carjackings had fallen by 87 percent from the same period last year.
“We know that when carjackings go down, when the use of guns goes down, when homicide or robbery go down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer, ” Bowser said. “So this surge has been important to us for that reason.”
She said that the district will continue to need more police, prosecutors, judges, “more effective prevention programs, and we need to ensure local control.”
Bowser also said on Wednesday that having masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the community “has not worked.”
The Department of Homeland Security said in July—when Los Angeles County supervisors sought to ban law enforcement personnel from covering their faces—that ICE officers wear masks to protect themselves from being doxxed and targeted.
Trump announced on Aug. 11 that he would activate hundreds of National Guard troops in the nation’s capital to deal with crime.
The president invoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act of 1973, which places the Metropolitan Police Department under the control of the president for 48 hours. The president can extend that control for up to 30 days with notification to Congress, after which, congressional approval is required.
“I’m announcing a historic action to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor, and worse,” Trump said at a White House press briefing at the time. “This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back.”
Bowser, at the time, called the federal takeover unsettling and reiterated her call for full statehood for Washington.
1,000 Arrests Since Federal Takeover
On Wednesday, Bowser said she had spoken to Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and the president.
“I was reminded that the president’s interest in cities predates his time in office, and his knowledge of D.C. had significantly increased from the first time he was in the White House,” the mayor said. “And so we knew that the priorities around safety and investment in infrastructure would be on the president’s mind.”
When asked whether she had gotten assurances from Trump that he would not attempt to go beyond the 30 days, Bowser said it was not something she had discussed with the president, but that she would continue to work with the Trump administration on how Washington’s emergency operations center and the federal task force can work together.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an Aug. 25 post on X that in the two weeks since Trump brought Washington under federal control, various forms of crime had fallen, including violent crime, which was down 32 percent; robberies, down 47 percent; and homicides, down 60 percent.
That same day, FBI Director Kash Patel said that there had been more than 1,000 arrests made across Washington since the federal takeover began.
Union Station Takeover
On Wednesday, federal officials said they would take over the management of Washington’s Union Station, in a bid to improve the running of the property.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Trump “wants Union Station to be beautiful again.”
“He wants transit to be safe again, and he wants our nation’s capital to be great again,” Duffy said during an event celebrating the launch of Amtrak’s NextGen Acela trains.
Union Station is owned by the federal government, but has been run by passenger rail service Amtrak.
When asked about the takeover, Bowser said on Wednesday it was a “good thing” because the station needs at least $8 billion worth of investment in its renovation, “and that is not something that the district will be able to support.”
“It is an important asset for the Eastern Seaboard. It’s an important asset for the nation. So it is appropriate, in my view, for the federal government to make the necessary investments in the transformation of Union Station,” the mayor said.
She also expressed support for the president’s $2 billion request from Congress to improve infrastructure, “especially federal infrastructure in the district.”
Jackson Richman contributed to this report.
If you found this article interesting, please consider supporting traditional journalism
Our first edition was published 25 years ago from a basement in Atlanta. Today, The Epoch Times brings fact-based, award-winning journalism to millions of Americans.
Our journalists have been threatened, arrested, and assaulted, but our commitment to independent journalism has never wavered. This year marks our 25th year of independent reporting, free from corporate and political influence.
That’s why you’re invited to a limited-time introductory offer — just $1 per week — so you can join millions already celebrating independent news.
