Trump threatens to deploy National Guard in ‘federal takeover’ of Washington DC as FBI raids begin
Federal agents have swept into Washington as part of Donald Trump’s intensified crackdown on crime, following his threat to impose a federal takeover of the US capital.
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The US president has vowed to “immediately clear out the city’s homeless population and take swift action against crime” as he mulls over sending in the National Guard.
Agents began making arrests on Sunday night, with images revealing several federal agencies such as the FBI and Border Patrol working together in the crackdown.
“Be prepared! There will be no ‘MR. NICE GUY.’ We want our Capital BACK,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social social media network last night.
He is expected to hold a press conference on Monday to "stop violent crime in Washington, D.C."
A White House official said in a statement that “we won’t get ahead of the President on any potential announcements, but the President has been clear that all options are on the table when it comes to making DC safe again.”
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US officials told NBC4 Washington that Trump was considering deploying around 1,000 troops.
Trump has spent days issuing threats of a crackdown, warning it's "all going to happen very fast, just like the Border [raids].
"We're going to have to federalize D.C. and run it the way it's supposed to be run," he wrote on Truth Social.
He later told reporters: "The rate of crime, the rate of muggings, killings and everything else - we're not going to let it… and that includes bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly, too."
"We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong," he has also warned.
He vowed to "make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before"and "immediately clear out the city's homeless population and take swift action against crime."
It comes after federal law enforcement officers were deployed in the capital following a violent attack on a young administration staffer.
Trump has likened the crime crackdown to the military-style raids carried out US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in border states like California amid Trump’s ongoing mission to deport all so-called illegal migrants.
In June, the Trump administration deployed 2,000 National Guard soldiers to crush anti-deportation protests in Los Angeles.
Police used tear gas, stun guns and riot shields to push back against protestors.
It came following a series of coordinated immigration raids across the city led to dozens of arrests of individuals suspected of "immigration violations".