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DC prepares for end of Trump's crime emergency declaration
President Trump's 30-day emergency order is set to end on Wednesday, Sept. 10 but D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has made it clear that the increased number of federal law enforcement and the National Guard is likely not going anywhere. She added that the order ending does not give people the green-light to commit crimes
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's 30-day emergency order is set to end on Wednesday, Sept. 10 but D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has made it clear that the increased number of federal law enforcement and the National Guard is likely not going anywhere.
She added that the order ending does not give anyone a green light to commit crimes.
"Shooting someone is still illegal. Committing carjackings is still illegal. Stealing from stores is still illegal," Bowser said. "That won’t change on Sept. 11. It will be illegal," Bowser said.
The backstory:
Trump began his federalization of the Metropolitan Police Department back on Aug. 11. When the emergency order expires, the mayor no longer has to have D.C. Police participate in the president’s crime crackdown.
However, the emergency ending will not end Trump’s power to order the National Guard onto D.C.'s streets or deploy federal law enforcement in the District.
"The National Guard is working with police, working with the Mayor," Trump said. "You know, that’s not her ideology and now I think it maybe is her ideology. She’s taking a lot of heat too, from the radical left."
While Bowser is getting praise from the president, she is also getting pressure from critics who say she’s not pushing back enough.
The White House told FOX 5 that on Sunday night, their operation resulted in 72 arrests—41 of them illegal immigrants with criminal histories and prior arrests.
What they're saying:
"I don’t see where they have gone to the section of town where you have major drug problems," one D.C. resident told FOX 5.
"If there’s no policing working on the city’s safety, the National Guard will make the city safe," said another.
"It’s kind of a waste of taxpayer money to be honest. The best way to be honest if you want to get D.C. in a better position is that you actually fund D.C.’s budget," said Democratic Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam.
What's next:
There’s no sign that the National Guard is looking to reduce the number of troops in the District. The joint task force at the D.C. armory tells FOX 5 there are currently more than 2,300 National Guard troops deployed in the city.
The largest out-of-state deployment is West Virginia with 427 troops.