Crime in Washington, D.C. has seen a significant decline in recent years, with violent crime hitting a 30-year low in 2024 and continuing to drop this year, according to city statistics. However, President Donald Trump has called these figures ‘phony,’ arguing that the city remains on the brink of lawlessness. His administration has launched a sweeping federal response to what he describes as lingering urban disorder, including the deployment of the National Guard and the federalization of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Trump’s move aims to address homelessness, which he claims is a growing threat to public safety. He has vowed to evict the homeless population from the city’s core and relocate them to areas ‘far from the Capitol.’ The administration has stated that a process has begun to remove encampments in the district, although many former hotspots have already been cleared, leaving behind only abandoned clothing and scattered food containers as signs of recent life.
Despite the claims of declining crime, D.C. has not been without its share of high-profile incidents. A minor opened fire on a group of other teens in Navy Yard over the weekend, and a 21-year-old congressional intern was fatally shot outside a Metro station last month. In May, two Israeli embassy staffers were gunned down outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. These events have fueled a broader sense of unease in the city, with many residents feeling that D.C. has become less safe.
However, city officials and advocacy groups argue that Trump’s actions are an overreach of federal power. The D.C. City Council has called the move a ‘manufactured intrusion on local authority,’ stating that there is no federal emergency and that the National Guard lacks public safety training and knowledge of local laws. The Georgetown Ministry Center, a privately funded agency focused on homeless services, has warned that criminalizing the homeless erodes shared humanity and risks further marginalizing vulnerable citizens.
While Trump frames his actions as necessary for national security and public order, critics argue that the approach prioritizes political messaging over effective policy solutions. The debate over how to address homelessness and public safety in D.C. continues to be a contentious issue, with residents and officials divided on the best way forward.