DC mayor says Trump federal law enforcement surge is reducing crime

Mayor Muriel Bowser also said that the presence of masked ICE agents and National Guard troops “is not working.”

WASHINGTON — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday credited President Donald Trump's directed surge of federal law enforcement with lowering crime in the nation's capital but made it clear that the presence of immigration agents and National Guard troops is "not working."

Bowser conveyed her ambivalent view of the Trump administration's federalization of D.C. in a situational update since Trump announced efforts to combat crime in the city on Aug. 7. On one hand, she said the changes have resulted in less crime, but on the other she also expressed deep concern about residents' "living in fear."

"We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what MPD has been able to do in this city," Bowser, a Democrat, told reporters about the expansion of federal law enforcement and its partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department.

Carjackings, she said, were the "most troubling" crime that plagued D.C. in 2023, and they have decreased in recent years. Bowser said that in the 20 days since the federal takeover, there has been an 87% drop in carjackings compared with the same period last year. The data cited also showed a 15% fall in crime overall in the district during the same period last year.

"We know that when carjackings go down, when use of guns goes down, when homicide or robbery go down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer, so this surge has been important to us," said Bowser, who added that she has been personally engaged with Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.