In August 2025, President Trump deployed of National Guard troops to Washington D.C. and attempted to take over the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department. Despite the fact that violent crime in Washington D.C. is at a 30-year low, President Trump falsely claimed the city is experiencing a ‘crime emergency’ to justify an unprecedented federal assumption of local law enforcement. By blaming the supposed crisis on an ‘enemy invasion,’ inner city youth, and people experiencing homelessness, President Trump’s announcement continues a long pattern of scapegoating and dehumanizing immigrants and other vulnerable communities.
President Trump’s actions pose serious threats to public safety in Washington D.C. National Guard members are untrained in law enforcement and their deployment in this context may actually pose a greater threat to the safety of all Washington D.C. residents and visitors. We are especially alarmed by reports that National Guard servicemembers patrolling the city may be armed. In addition, immigrants, communities of Color, and people experiencing homelessness are at unique risk, as indicated by their numerous roundups and arrests in the last week.
This order, which has already drawn opposition from a federal judge adjudicating a challenge to the effort, undermines longstanding democratic norms, violates local autonomy, and threatens rule of law nationwide. The actions in DC come on the heels of other impositions of executive power, including deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles earlier this summer. President Trump has also indicated a desire to take over law enforcement in other cities across the United States. Our commitment to the rule of law is guided by Jewish text and tradition, including the words of Leviticus 19:15: “You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kin fairly.”
Urge Congress to speak up in strong opposition to this unprecedented federal overreach and oppose any request by President Trump to extend federal control of local law enforcement.
For more information, contact RAC Assistant Legislative Director Jacob Greenblatt (jgreenblatt@rac.org).
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