FBI agents and other federal officers have been assigned to patrol the city overnight.
Key Facts
The National Guard was deployed in D.C. on Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Army.
Around a dozen National Guards members deployed near the Washington Monument, according to The New York Times, which reported the Guardsmen refused to answer questions about their mission or how long they would remain on assignment.
Of the 800 activated, between 100 and 200 National Guardsmen will be deployed in the streets of D.C. in a supportive capacity for law enforcement and do not have the authority to make arrests.
Agents made a total of 23 arrests Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, for serious crimes including homicide, possession with intent to distribute narcotics and possession of a high capacity magazine—but also more common crimes, including fare evasion, driving under the influence, and reckless driving.
Forbes was unable to confirm these numbers, though local police separately reported a homicide arrest that they made—the Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately return a request for comment.
They also made arrests for firearms offenses, Leavitt said, and seized six illegal handguns.
The Trump administration will “reevaluate and reassess” the situation in D.C. after 30 days, the press secretary said—after then, the Home Rule Act of 1973 requires the White House to seek Congressional approval to maintain control over the city’s police force.
Leavitt said only two homeless encampments remained in D.C. after Trump issued an executive order in March aimed at making the city “safe and beautiful.”
Park Police are scheduled to remove the remaining encampments this week, Leavitt said, and people living there would be required to leave for homeless shelters or face “fines and jail time.”
Democratic leaders denounced the takeover—Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the takeover a “political ploy and attempted distraction from Trump’s other scandals,” while Rep.
