Thousands March in DC to Protest Trump’s Federal Police Takeover

(MENAFN) Thousands took to the streets of Washington, DC, on Saturday in a massive protest opposing President Donald Trump’s decision to place the city’s police under federal control and deploy National Guard troops throughout the capital.

The “We Are All D.C.” march united a diverse alliance of advocacy groups, civil rights organizations, and labor unions. Participants gathered at Meridian Hill Park before marching over two miles to Freedom Plaza near the White House. Demonstrators chanted “Troops go home,” while carrying signs demanding “End the D.C. Occupation” and “Trump Must Go Now.”

Speakers at the event sharply criticized the extended presence of federal law enforcement and military personnel, emphasizing the vulnerability of Washington, which lacks statehood and is thus subject to unilateral federal decisions.

DC Council member Janeese Lewis George, leading chants, said the city “embraces, not excludes,” calling for full statehood as a safeguard for residents’ rights. Labor leaders and immigrant advocates also condemned the federal surge’s disproportionate impact on communities of color and small businesses.

“They criminalized our existence and they want to wipe us out," declared one activist via megaphone, condemning security forces’ “kidnapping and detaining our immigrant community” and denouncing “participation and capitulation” to the administration’s “racist and reactionary agenda.”

On August 11, Trump declared a crime emergency in the capital, ordering federal control over the Metropolitan Police Department and deploying over 2,000 troops, including reinforcements from Republican-led states. The administration claims the crackdown has resulted in nearly 2,000 arrests, the confiscation of close to 200 firearms, and the clearing of numerous homeless encampments.

City officials, however, dispute these claims with data showing a decline in violent and property crimes compared to last year—data Trump has dismissed as false. The Justice Department’s approach during the policing surge has drawn criticism from magistrate judges and local leaders amid allegations of overcharging and civil rights violations. DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit this week to block the deployment, calling it unconstitutional.

The protest unfolded amid Trump’s warnings to extend federal crackdowns to other Democratic-led cities. He has threatened to send National Guard troops and immigration enforcement teams to Chicago, echoing past deployments to Los Angeles. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned these threats, accusing Trump of seeking to be a “dictator” in a social media post.

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