‘Federal takeover’: Is Washington DC so RUINED by crime, homelessness, that Trump unleashed FBI, wants National Guard? Here are the facts

President Donald Trump could announce the deployment of National Guard in Washington DC as early as this week, as he threatened a 'federal takeover' in the US capital that he claimed is ruined by violent crime, carjackings and homeless people, or 'hobos' as they're called in America. But is crime and homelessness in DC really such a big crisis? Here is a briefing on the situation.

‘DC chaos’: Trump unleashes Feds, seeks military help amid ‘crime crisis’

In Washington DC, it’s a summer of sirens, surveillance, and sweeping crackdowns. Trump has declared war on what “lawless and unsafe” Washington, DC. In a stunning development, the agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation are already patrolling the streets. The US military is set to send in the National Guard amid crimes like carjackings and homelessness, as per reports.

FBI agents on streets, National Guard on standby

For the first time since the post-election unrest of 2020, Trump reportedly deployed 450 federal officers, including 120 FBI agents to roam the US capital.
The aim? To crack down on violent crime and carjackings. Since August 9, they have been patrolling DC's streets at night in a sweeping, week-long operation dubbed by insiders as 'Operation Restore Order'.

It doesn't stop there.
Reports said the US military is likely to activate up to 1,000 National Guard troops, as Trump is considering their deployment. No final orders are signed, but reports, including the Reuters news agency, claimed the president could sign off on the mission as soon as this week.

DC is 'out of control': Trump's threat of federal takeover

In a chilling post on Truth Social, Trump dropped a bombshell, threatening to "federalize Washington, D.C" entirely, if local leaders don’t “get crime under control.” Trump is flirting with the dangerous idea of overturning DC’s Home Rule, a 50-year-old law that grants the city limited self-governance.

“I may exert my powers to run the city the way it should be run,” Trump wrote.

But really, is crime up in Washington DC?

But data shows that crime in DC is at a 30-year low. According to DC police and federal prosecutors, violent crime is down 26 per cent in 2025 compared to last year.
Homicides are down 12 per cent, with 14 fewer deaths than the same time last year. Assaults with a dangerous weapon have dropped by 19 per cent. Robberies are down 39 per cent.

Even carjackings — the crime at the centre of Trump’s new law-and-order blitz — have likely come down.

Carjacking incidents are not new in the US capital. Still, the FBI’s night patrols are focused almost entirely on carjackings.

The one that shocked everyone was an attempted carjacking of Edward Coristine, a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer. He was reportedly left bloodied and traumatised.

While overall data is down, some of the recent crimes have been shocking, including the murder of a congressional intern and the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy workers.

Is homelessness really a big crisis in DC?

As per official data , homelessness in DC has dropped 12 per cent since 2020.

As part of a Trump executive order, the government has cleared 64 homeless encampments, even as Trump vowed to relocate the homeless “FAR from the Capital.”

That order, named ‘Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful’, was slammed by critics as 'cosmetic cruelty' and a PR stunt.

Trump is also pushing a 40 per cent budget cut to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Who really runs Washington DC?

Washington DC has a unique status of self-rule. But the National Guard, being a part of the military, answers directly to the President, not a governor. This makes military deployments easier for Trump.

Local officials were reportedly blindsided by the sudden influx of federal agents, with
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's office denying the approval of the new surge.

Trump's moves mirror his tactics in 2020 and 2021, at the fag end of his first term, when federal agents and National Guard clashed with protesters and patrolled city streets.

The writing is clear on the wall for DC residents: Feds are here, and the army is coming.