• Military
• WMD
• Intelligence

• Security Menu                     

• Systems
• Industry
• Operations
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Space

Hundreds arrested as Trump intensifies militarization of US capital

Iran Press TV

Friday, 22 August 2025 11:30 AM

US authorities have arrested 630 people in Washington, D.C. over the past 10 days, as the Trump administration escalates its militarization of the capital, raising alarm among residents and civil rights advocates.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrests, noting that nearly half of those detained are undocumented immigrants, many of whom reportedly do not speak English.

The wave of detentions comes amid President Donald Trump's invocation of Section 740 of the Home Rule Act on August 11, which allowed the federal government to assume control over the city's Metropolitan Police Department for 30 days.

Since the takeover, masked federal agents have been detaining individuals without identifying themselves or explaining the reasons for arrest.

Videos circulating on social media show agents pulling people from cars, tackling them to the ground, and ambushing cyclists and scooter riders.

These tactics have provoked widespread fear, especially within immigrant communities, some of whom say they are too frightened to send their children to school for fear that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents might separate families.

Local businesses have also reported a sharp decline in customers, as many residents, including US citizens, opt to stay home, concerned about racial profiling and arbitrary arrests.

On Thursday, President Trump visited the federal agents and National Guard troops stationed in the city, delivering a brief speech and handing out pizzas and hamburgers. He vowed to "make it safe" in Washington and suggested similar federal interventions might follow elsewhere.

More than 2,400 National Guard troops have been deployed in Washington, with an additional 700 arriving from states governed by Republicans, including West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio.

While the National Guard has stated its role is limited to crowd control, presence patrols, and perimeter security, critics argue the deployment is largely performative and intimidating, involving expensive military vehicles rolling through city streets.

The situation has sparked cultural reactions, including viral videos of a man throwing a sandwich at a federal agent — a moment immortalized in "Banksy-style" posters seen around the city.

President Trump has defended the federal intervention by citing high violent crime rates and accusing the city's elected leaders of failing to act.

Mayor Muriel Bowser pushed back forcefully, noting that violent crime in Washington has declined significantly over the past two years due to local reforms.

The Department of Justice has opened an inquiry into possible manipulation of crime data by the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the meantime, the federal crackdown has deepened tensions in the city, with Vice President J.D. Vance facing boos and chants of "Free D.C." during a recent visit to troops.

Meanwhile, President Trump has ordered the clearing of homeless encampments along his golf course route, despite little evidence connecting homelessness to crime.

City Councilmember Trayon White, who visited the courthouse to check on detainees, reported that most cases lacked formal charges, raising questions about the nature of the arrests.

Many residents say they support efforts to combat crime but view the current federal approach as excessive, unevenly enforced, and a source of fear in vulnerable communities.

The deployment in Washington follows earlier actions by the Trump administration that sent National Guard and Marine forces to other cities such as Los Angeles, fueling concerns about the increasing militarization of local law enforcement and the targeting of immigrant populations.