Virginie-Western sends hundreds of members of the National Guard to Washington

Washington (AP) – Hundreds of members of the Virginia -Western National Guard will unfold through the capital of the nation As part of the Trump administration’s efforts to revise the police in Washington through federal repression against crime and homelessness.

This decision announced that on Saturday comes as demonstrators pushed on the application of federal laws and the troops of the National Guard who moved to the city strongly Democrat after President Donald Trump executive decree Close local police forces and activate around 800 members of the National Guard of the Columbia District.

By adding external troops to join the existing deployment of the guard and the federal agents of the application of the laws, Trump exercises an even tighter control over the city. It is a play of power that the president justified as an emergency response to crime and homelessness, even if the city officials noted that Violent crimes are lower that it was during Trump’s first term.

A protest against Trump’s intervention attracted the scores to Dupont Circle on Saturday before a White House walk, about 1.5 mile from there. Protesters gathered behind a banner who said: “No DC fascist takeover”, and some in the crowd held signs saying: “No military occupation”.

Trump was in his Virginia golf club after Friday’s summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

The protest repels federal officers in Washington

Morgan Taylor, one of the organizers who coordinated the demonstration on Saturday, said they hoped to trigger enough reaction for Trump’s actions that the administration is forced to resume his crime and his immigration program.

“It’s hot, but I’m happy to be here. It’s good to see all these people here,” she said. “I can’t believe it happens in this country right now.”

Funding the demonstrations were concerns about Trump’s overtaking and that he had used crime as a pretext to impose his will on Washington.

John Finnigan, 55, was a bicycle ride when he met the demonstration in downtown Washington. The director of real estate construction who has lived in the capital for 27 years said that Trump’s movements were “ridiculous” because crime is down.

“I hope that some mayors and some residents will go out in front of him and try to make it more difficult than this in other cities,” said Finnigan.

Jamie Dickstein, a 24 -year -old teacher, said that she was “very uncomfortable and worried” for security or her students given the “unmarked officers of all types” who now wander in Washington and the detention of people.

Dickstein said it turned out against the demonstration with friends and parents to “prevent a continuous domino effect in the future with other cities”.

The Virginia-Western National Guard arrives in Washington

Governor Patrick Morrisey, RW.VA., announced on Saturday that he sent a contingent of 300 to 400 guard troops to Washington.

“Virginia-Western is proud to stand with President Trump in his efforts to restore the pride and beauty of the capital of our country,” said Morrisey.

The activation of Virginie-Western suggests that the administration sees the need for an additional workforce after the president has personally played the need for Washington to hire more police officers.

Major-general James Seward, general adjutant of Virginia-Western, said in a statement that the members of the State National Guard “supported our partners in the national capital region” and that “unique capacities and preparation of troops make it an invaluable partner in this important enterprise”.

Federal police in Washington attract mixed reactions

Federal agents appeared in some of the most victims of the city, which obtains a mixture of praise, hindsight and alarm of residents and local leaders across the country.

City leaders, who are forced to cooperate with Trump’s order under federal laws that direct local governance of the district, sought to work with the administration, although they have bristled the scope of the President’s control.

Friday, administration reverse course On a prescription which aimed to place the chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration as “Emergency Police Commissioner” after the best lawyer in the district continued his competition.

After a hearing, Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi published a service note that ordered the Metropolitan Police Service to cooperate with the Federal Immigration Application, whatever the city’s law.

City officials say they evaluate how to comply as best as possible.

In his order on Monday, Trump declared an emergency due to “the inability of the city government to maintain public order”. He said that it had hampered the “federal government’s ability to effectively operate to respond to the wider interests of the country without fear that our workers will be subject to rampant violence”.

In a letter to the city’s residents, mayor Muriel Bowser, a democrat, wrote that “our limited autonomy has never faced the type of test we are confronted with at the moment”.

She added that if Washington residents stay together, “we will show the whole nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy – even when we do not have fully access.”

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The writer Associated Press Josh Boak contributed to this report.