D.C. – As President Donald Trump continues his war on crime, there was a large military and federal law enforcement presence in Washington, D.C. for the opening of the school year. A lot of parents in Washington, D.C. are worried and have taken to social media to talk about rumors of roadblocks and arrests. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was worried about the city’s kids and how the situation has made them feel. “Parents are worried,” she said at a news conference. “Any attempt to target children is heartless, mean, uncalled for, and only hurts us.”
Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered select National Guard units to be able to carry guns while on patrol. This was the most recent step up in federal intervention. On Monday, soldiers from Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee were sighted in different parts of the city. The military task force in charge of the deployment said that the troops would follow stringent rules of engagement, such as only using force as a last resort. However, having armed people in a civilian area is something that has never happened before.
The president has defended his actions several times, saying that the federal government’s involvement has already led to a big decline in crime. A data sheet from the White House says that crime in D.C. has been going down since the federal takeover started. Robberies are down 46% and carjackings are down 83%. Local officials, on the other hand, have questioned the truth of these assertions. The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) says that violent crime had already reduced by 27% from the beginning of the year as of August 25, 2025.
Trump is now thinking about sending troops to other Democratic-led cities, like Chicago and New York, because he says their circumstances equally need federal involvement. People have strongly opposed this idea. Brandon Johnson, the mayor of Chicago, termed the notion “unconstitutional” and “uncalled for,” and said he would take legal action if necessary. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker agreed, calling the plan a “distraction” and an “authoritarian power grab.” He said that crime rates in Chicago had also dropped a lot, with murders and shootings down by more than 30% in the first half of the year.
As people in Washington get used to the fact that there are troops there, authorities in other communities are getting ready for a possible fight with the federal government. The deployments have sparked a discussion about federal overreach, states’ rights, and how to properly utilize military force for law enforcement in the US.