Crime ‘hot spots’ targeted, encampments cleared, as feds expand DC push

President Donald Trump on Thursday promised to “have the crime situation solved in D.C. very soon,” as White House and Pentagon officials provided some new details about the increased presence of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in the capital.

A White House official said federal operations will run 24 hours a day, rather than focus on nighttime hours, and will target high crime areas and “known hot spots.” There were also signs of stepped-up efforts to address the tents and other visible signs of homelessness that have long seized Trump’s attention.

But on what was the first full day of National Guard operations in the District, Trump also continued to face questions on the practical impact of his extraordinary use of federal power. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he defended his assertion that National Guard troops can make a meaningful difference — despite their lack of training in local police work.

National Guard troops are trained in “common sense, and they’re very tough people,” Trump said. He later added that “they’re trained in not allowing people to burn down buildings and bomb buildings and shoot people and all the things.”

D.C. police data shows violent crime, after a historic spike in 2023, is declining.

The 800 National Guard members mobilized to protect D.C. are not armed and will not be conducting law enforcement activities, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters Thursday. That is the case, even though under federal Title 32 orders, which is the authority Trump used to activate them, they could conduct law enforcement if asked.

“They will not be arresting people,” Wilson said.

The statements from Trump administration officials came amid a flurry of developments, including a change in the way D.C. police interact with federal officials on immigration enforcement matters.

D.C. police Chief Pamela A. Smith issued an executive order allowing the city’s officers to share information about people who are not in custody and to transport U.S. immigration authorities and the people they detain. That cooperation on a major Trump administration priority does not change the D.C. law that prohibits local law enforcement from providing information about people in D.C. custody to federal immigration enforcement.

On homelessness, District officials were bracing for the potential on Thursday night for the federal government to expand efforts to clear homeless encampments.

City officials spent the day continuing to press people living outside to swiftly enter shelters so they could avoid being caught up in federal cleanup campaigns. The Trump administration has threatened to fine or arrest any individuals who refuse to be removed or placed in shelters.

Local advocacy groups asked city officials to prepare for a possible increase in those seeking shelter, including those who have long objected to the strictures that can come with the services provided in such places.

The National Park Service has regularly cleared homeless encampments on federal land in the District in past years. Earlier this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that “70 homeless encampments have been removed by the U.S. Park police” since March. In the same briefing, Leavitt said only two encampments remained in National Park Service jurisdiction in D.C. “The removal of those two remaining camps is scheduled for this week,” Leavitt said.

Members of D.C.’s Health and Human Services team began clearing an encampment Thursday morning on a grassy no-man’s-land near the Kennedy Center after giving residents a day’s notice to remove their belongings.

By 8 a.m., three people had already packed their belongings and scattered. Six more were busy wiping down their tents and folding tarps to meet a 10 a.m. deadline set by the District. Several residents said they had been at the encampment for months.

“It’s a longer walk than it looks across the bridge to Virginia,” said David Beatty, 67, who has lived in the camp for eight months. “If I can get my stuff in storage, I’ll do what I usually do. … I have a broom and a dustpan, and I walk around sweeping up.”

The District usually posts notices for clearing 14 days in advance, and the site had not been on the District’s list for clearings. Rebecca Dooley, a spokesperson for the deputy mayor for health and human services, said the encampment’s proximity to the highway qualified it for expedited removal, which requires only 24 hours’ notice.

Dooley said the decision to clear the site was made Wednesday by the city’s health and human services agency. When asked if the White House was involved in the decision, she referred questions to the mayor’s communications team. A White House official said on background that they were “unable to confirm specific locations or details on operational efforts in the interest of the safety and security of all involved.”

About a half dozen outreach workers from nonprofits helped residents pack up. Dooley said they made offers of shelter to the people who were leaving the encampment, but she was unsure if anyone had taken them up on it.

“We’re following our own protocol,” she said, noting that there are no plans to arrest people who turn down shelter referrals. She said it is the only cleanup scheduled for Thursday.

William Wilson, 66, dragged his cart of clothes and camping gear up the hill. “I’d like to invite the president to spend some time here in a tent with us,” he said. “We’re nice people. We’re a family here — we get along.”

Among those facing federal enforcement, and the prospect of being forced off the streets, one key issue is storage, said Amber Harding, executive director of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.

“Shelters have a two-bag maximum, so people might not want to go to a shelter if they don’t want to throw away their stuff that can’t fit into two bags. So we have been trying to work with the city to make sure they have storage options,” Harding said.

Location is another factor. “Right now the shelter spaces the government has are not downtown,” Harding said. “That means people will have to be transported there, which means moving away from where they are currently staying, from the people they know and the places where they are currently getting services.”

D.C. Council member Brianne K. Nadeau (D-Ward 1) said she was deeply concerned about federal encampment clearings. “When this kind of dramatic action is taken, it erodes the trust we have built with folks living outside and diminishes our ability to bring them into permanent housing and get them stabilized,” she said.

The National Park Service and Park Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The clearings come as the presence of federal law enforcement has become more visible in portions of the District.

Trump declared an emergency in D.C. earlier this week and put the city’s police department under federal control.

The actions have sparked mixed reactions among residents, with some outraged by Trump’s decision and some offering varying levels of support. In Northwest Washington, a checkpoint with local and federal law enforcement officers on Wednesday evening drew protesters and other onlookers who shouted at the officers.

On Thursday, a group of 17 former elected officials from the District circulated a joint statement warning that Trump’s “strongman tactics” were dangerous for the city and the nation. “There is no emergency that warrants this action,” they wrote, adding that the president and Congress can further cut crime by appointing judges to fill critical vacancies.

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), who has decried Trump’s actions as “an authoritarian push,” has also sought to work constructively with federal authorities. The mayor said on social media that she was temporarily out of the District on Thursday to pick up her daughter from camp but had remained in constant contact with key officials.

The federal presence has been aggressive at times, including with immigration enforcement. The National Guard, meanwhile, has had a somewhat relaxed posture.

“Their initial mission is to provide a visible presence in key public areas, serving as a visible crime deterrent,” the Army said on social media. “While they will not conduct arrests, they have the authority to temporarily detain individuals to prevent imminent harm, ensuring that custody is promptly transferred to law enforcement authorities.”

The Pentagon’s Wilson said the troops also will carry out “area beautification” without offering elaboration. Area beautification is military parlance for trash collection, landscaping and other tidying up on military installations.

Though they are not armed, the troops are wearing body armor. Some have been seen around the city wearing soft caps instead of helmets as they take selfies with passersby. Weapons are stored miles away at their armory, ready if needed, the Army said.

On Wednesday, Trump said the administration intends to ask for an extension of the emergency declaration beyond 30 days. Such a move would require congressional approval.

At the same time, some federal officials indicated that they continue to operate on a time frame of about a month.

National Guard troops are on orders lasting for 30 days, a defense official told reporters on the condition of anonymity to provide details that have not yet been discussed publicly.

_

• Maegan Vazquez, Dylan Wells, Olivia George, Meagan Flynn, Brittany Shammas and Michael Birnbaum contributed.