FBI Agents Patrol D.C. Streets as Trump Considers National Guard

FBI Dispatching Agents to D.C. Streets as Trump Weighs Calling National Guard

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FBI has begun deploying agents on overnight shifts in the U.S. capital to help local law enforcement combat carjackings and violent crime, according to two officials familiar with the matter. This move comes as President Donald Trump considers a federal takeover of the city and potential deployment of the National Guard.

A decision on whether to activate the Guard could be made as early as Monday, when President Trump is expected to hold a White House news conference focused on crime in D.C., a U.S. official told The Washington Post.

“Be prepared! There will be no ‘MR. NICE GUY.’ We want our Capital BACK,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account.

The White House stated that “all options are on the table” to make the city safe, while D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser said her administration has not been briefed on any National Guard plans.

Law enforcement deployment
Sources say the Trump administration authorized up to 120 FBI agents, primarily from the Washington Field Office, to work alongside D.C. police and other federal officers for at least one week. Additional agents from outside the city, including Philadelphia, have been dispatched to bolster the operation.

The deployment includes agents from divisions such as counterintelligence and public corruption, many of whom have minimal training in traffic stops. Officials told The Washington Post that this diversion from their normal duties raises operational and safety concerns.

“Agents from the FBI Washington Field Office continue to participate in the increased federal law enforcement presence in D.C., which includes assisting our law enforcement partners,” the FBI said in an official statement.

Political tensions and crime data
President Trump has compared his approach to D.C. crime to his southern border policies, promising to “clear out” the city’s homeless population and “take swift action” against offenders.

Mayor Bowser has pushed back on Trump’s portrayal, citing D.C. police data showing violent crime down 26% and homicides down 12% compared with the same time last year.

In recent months, the administration launched the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force to target quality-of-life issues such as homeless encampments and graffiti. Homeless advocates, including Jesse Rabinowitz of the National Homelessness Law Center, have criticized Trump’s threats, calling them costly and inhumane.

The ongoing federal presence underscores the unique authority the U.S. government holds over the nation’s capital under the Home Rule Act of 1973, which allows intervention in city affairs despite objections from local leaders.