Washington sues the Trump administration over National Guard deployment

"Since August 11, thousands of local Guardsmen and troops from seven other states have been patrolling the capital's main monuments and subway system, among other areas, to confront what the president has described as a wave of crime serious enough to warrant a state of emergency. Official figures, however, suggest otherwise. No American city should have the U.S. military particularly out-of-state military who are not accountable to the residents and untrained in local law enforcement."

"The lawsuit comes just two days after a federal judge in San Francisco declared a similar deployment of National Guard troops, ordered by Trump this past June in Los Angeles, illegal. This deployment was also justified on the grounds of public safety. It also comes amid Trump's growing threats to repeat the operation in other majority-Democratic cities, including Chicago, Baltimore, and, as of this week, New Orleans. All of them, like Washington and Los Angeles, are led by Democratic and African American mayors."

"Trump boasts that the deployments have dramatically improved security in both cities. On Thursday, the president boasted on his social platform, Truth Social, about the number of arrests in Washington since the streets have been patrolled not only by soldiers, but also by federal police and immigration agents. According to White House figures, in the three weeks since the deployment, there have been 1,669 arrests and 709 criminals removed from the streets."

Washington, D.C. filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the federal deployment of National Guard troops and other federal agents onto city streets. Since August 11, thousands of local Guardsmen and troops from seven other states have patrolled monuments, the subway, and other areas to confront a claimed wave of crime. The District's attorney general characterized out-of-state military personnel as unaccountable to residents and untrained in local law enforcement, calling the deployment illegal federal overreach. A federal judge recently ruled a similar deployment in Los Angeles illegal. The White House reports 1,669 arrests and 709 removals in three weeks, while polls show nearly 80% opposition and broad resident discontent.

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