As the Trump federal takeover of the Washington, D.C. police force entered its second week, people who live in the city have started to question the focus of the federal agents who are now patrolling there. While the administration has said its goal is to address crime, observations from the ground show that these federal forces are mainly concentrating on high-profile areas of the nation’s capital that have low crime rates.
A review from Washington Post of how the agents have moved across the city shows they have had very few interactions in the neighborhoods that typically experience the highest rates of violent crime. People in Washington have seen officers from many different federal agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, keeping a very visible presence at famous tourist spots and popular nightlife areas.
For example, military vehicles have been positioned near the ride share pickup locations at Union Station, and the Department of Defense even publicized a photograph of a Humvee outside the train station. Federal agents have also been seen at the National Mall and the Lincoln Memorial, which are areas where violent crime is almost nonexistent.
Trump’s agents won’t try and protect high level crime areas, just the safe ones
What these agents have been doing often involves responding to minor disturbances instead of major crimes. In one instance, federal agents were seen calling an ambulance for a highly intoxicated person in Dupont Circle. In another case, confrontations between federal officers and protesters happened along a popular nightlife street.
Just watched 15 federal agents call an ambulance for a very, very drunk and sick girl in Dupont. pic.twitter.com/vlvMAJm8iU
— amanda moore(@noturtlesoup17) August 16, 2025
This pattern of patrol is very different from a claim made by the White House that a large part of their non immigration related arrests have happened in the city’s areas most affected by crime. However, earlier data from the administration showed that many of their arrests involved undocumented immigrants, and federal agents have not been widely seen responding to or addressing violent crime incidents.
ICE is dedicated to removing criminals from American cities, and D.C. is no exception.
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) August 17, 2025
Make D.C. Safe Again! pic.twitter.com/7Ecapevh3a
The actions of some agents have also caused concern. In a neighborhood with a large Hispanic population, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were filmed removing a banner that showed support for immigrants from a public park. After taking down the banner, one agent was heard saying, “We’re taking America back baby.” The agents reportedly left an object where the banner had been, and local residents quickly put the banner back up.
The president has tried to describe the capital as a city plagued by violent crime. He has asserted, without providing any evidence, that the city’s crime data is manipulated and that crime rates are worse than they appear. In reality, violent crime in Washington, D.C. is at a thirty-year low, following a single spike in the year 2023. The increased federal presence seems to have changed the city’s atmosphere. Patrolling areas where no crime happens helps no one, it’s like they’re more focused on posing than doing anything good.
