President Donald Trump took a field trip Thursday to the U.S. Park Police operations facility in Washington, where he addressed about 300 National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officials and praised his military crackdown on crime and immigration in the city.
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The White House said there have been 630 arrests, including 251 people who are in the country illegally, since Aug. 7, when Trump began ordering federal agents into the city. Trump has been ratcheting up the intensity since then, seizing control of the D.C. police department on Aug. 11 and deploying more National Guard troops, mostly from Republican-led states.
Trump suggested that operations in Washington could be drawn out and serve as a model for others around the country.
“We’re going to make it safe, and we’re going to go on to other places, but we’re going to stay here for a while,” he said.
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Soldiers have been largely stationed in downtown areas, such as monuments on the National Mall and transit stations. However, federal agents are operating more widely through the city. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged the proliferation of traffic checkpoints Thursday.
“The surge of federal officers is allowing for different types of deployments, more frequent types of deployments, like checkpoints,” Bowser said.
A crowd of people gathered outside a municipal office building to protest Trump's crackdown, waving signs and cheering speakers who denounced the president's plans. Their numbers swelled into the hundreds until police closed off nearby streets. When the rally ended, many remained to dance and listen to music.
In other neighborhoods Thursday evening, residents banged pots and pans on rooftops, front steps and street corners.
