Bowser Says Trump's Police Takeover Has Lowered D.c. Crime

WASHINGTON — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser connected Wednesday credited President Donald Trump's directed surge of national rule enforcement pinch lowering crime successful nan nation's capital, but made clear that nan presence of migration agents and National Guard troops is "not working."

Bowser conveyed her ambivalent position of nan Trump administration's federalization of D.C. during a situational update connected advancement made since nan president announced efforts connected Aug. 7 to combat crime successful nan city. On 1 hand, she communicated that these changes person resulted successful little crime, but she besides expressed heavy interest astir residents "living successful fear."

"We greatly admit nan surge of officers that heighten what MPD has been capable to do successful this city," nan Democratic politician told reporters astir nan description of national rule enforcement and its business pinch nan Metropolitan Police Department.

Carjackings, she said, were nan "most troubling" crime that plagued D.C. successful 2023 and they person decreased successful caller years. Bowser said that successful nan 20 days since nan national takeover, location has been an 87% driblet successful carjackings compared to nan aforesaid play past year. The data cited besides showed a 15% autumn successful crime wide successful nan territory during that aforesaid play successful nan past year.

"We cognize that erstwhile carjackings spell down, erstwhile usage of weapon goes down, erstwhile homicide aliases robbery spell down, neighborhoods consciousness safer and are safer, truthful this surge has been important to us," said Bowser, who added that she has been personally engaged pinch Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House main of unit Susie Wiles.

Bowser said that she said to Trump Wednesday afternoon, though she declined to supply specifications of their chat and said nan gathering was a "courtesy." "I was reminded of our first gathering aft his re-election, wherever we discussed shared priorities for nan district. There, I was reminded that nan president's liking successful cities predates his clip successful agency and his knowledge of D.C. had importantly accrued from nan first clip he was successful nan White House."

Asked what assurance she received that nan president won't effort to spell beyond nan surge's 30-day period, Bowser said, "That was not thing that I discussed pinch nan president."

Bowser signaled that nan surge whitethorn not beryllium needed aft nan group period. "What we want is section power of our nationalist information ecosystem," she said erstwhile asked what she wanted aft nan period is up. "That includes deployment of officers, and we want national officers that activity successful coordination pinch america — DEA, ATF, FBI — who, arsenic nan main conscionable mentioned, activity pinch america connected awesome crime issues each nan time."

She added, "After 30 days, I deliberation we're going to person officers, and we want officers. We want to heighten our serviceman presence."

Bowser said that MPD’s expertise to reside crime successful D.C. would beryllium greatly enhanced if nan section is capable to prosecute astatine slightest 500 further constabulary officers complete nan adjacent respective years. Police Chief Pamela Smith besides suggested during nan property convention that nan metropolis has benefited from nan national task unit formed to bring down crime and indicated it could beryllium a solution semipermanent “when we do spot surges and spikes successful crime.”

The politician said that since nan summation successful national rule enforcement officers, location person been much stops that person resulted successful nan seizure of forbidden guns and location has been much "accountability successful nan system" that "is driving down forbidden behavior."

"We cognize that we person had less weapon crimes, less homicides, and we person knowledgeable an utmost simplification successful carjackings," she said.

Bowser, however, powerfully rebuked nan Trump administration's deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and National Guard troops successful nan city. "What we cognize is not moving is simply a break successful spot betwixt constabulary and community, particularly pinch caller national partners successful our community. We cognize having masked ICE agents successful nan organization has not worked, and nationalist guards from different states has not been an businesslike usage of those resources," she said.

While nan politician refused to opportunity whether she brought up her concerns astir ICE arrests to Trump aliases Bondi, she said that group should beryllium "assured that nan things that we are very concerned about, we are moving connected a resolution."

Many immigrants successful D.C. person felt acrophobic since nan national rule enforcement buildup, particularly arsenic masked agents successful unmarked cars person been seen arresting alleged undocumented immigrants.

Bowser said that nan section authorities doesn't person immoderate accusation connected anyone who has been detained by ICE successful D.C. recently. "I americium concerned for sure, because we deliberation thing that we do and thing that we're going to inquire nan national partners to do is focused connected convulsive crime."

"I americium devastated by group surviving successful fear," she said. "I deliberation you cognize very intelligibly really I consciousness astir our federation needing broad migration reform, astir nan Congress establishing a pathway to citizenship for hard-working group who came to this state for a amended life and who are not criminals, who are law-abiding."

Reached for remark astir Bowser's remarks, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said that "crime is not a partisan issue."

"Americans expect elected officials to prioritize their information complete politics. President Trump’s bold action and business pinch section rule enforcement has quickly minimized convulsive crime and removed complete a 1000 criminals from nan streets of our nation’s capital," she said. "This includes forbidden aliens who person anterior arrests for heinous crimes for illustration battle aliases rape and are members of vulnerable gangs for illustration MS-13 and Tren de Aragua. Other Democrat leaders who are criticizing President Trump for cleaning up DC should return notes connected nan tremendous occurrence that Washington, DC has already knowledgeable nether President Trump’s leadership.”

A White House charismatic said Wednesday that connected Tuesday night, 40 undocumented immigrants were arrested who had "multiple convictions for assault, anterior criminal apprehension for DUI, assaulting a rule enforcement officer, anterior criminal arrests for controlled vulnerable substances pinch intent to distribute, anterior migration encounters, and 1 has been deemed typical liking alien."

Since nan national surge began, nan charismatic said 1,170 group person been arrested.