United States President Donald Trump has announced new measures that tightened his grip on security in Washington, DC, a day after National Guard troops began carrying weapons in the US capital.
Earlier this month, Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard, who now number more than 2,200, as part of what he has billed as a crackdown on allegedly out-of-control crime in the city.
On Monday, Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to set up a specialised unit within Washington’s National Guard “dedicated to ensuring public safety and order in the nation’s capital”.
In the same executive order, Trump directed the hiring of additional US Park Police personnel in the city, as well as more prosecutors to focus on litigating violent and property crimes.
Trump also took aim at cashless bail in a separate order and told law enforcement that anyone arrested should be held in federal custody “to the fullest extent permissible”, and federal charges should be pursued against them.
The previous day, National Guard troops in Washington, DC began carrying their service-issued weapons, the US military said, noting they are only authorised to use force as a last resort.
The National Guard forces in the capital are from overwhelmingly Democratic-voting Washington, DC, as well as the Republican-led states of West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee.
Federal law enforcement personnel, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have also increased their presence on the capital’s streets, drawing protests from some residents.