Residents of Washington, DC have gradually grown accustomed to the presence of uniformed troops and armored vehicles in the city's streets. On Monday, August 11, the American president announced that he would take control of the local police and requisition the National Guard, aiming to counter what he described as a crime wave affecting the capital.

The majority of military personnel and federal agents are now deployed on the ground. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Secret Service, Border Patrol, US Marshals... The Washington Post mapped the presence of 10 federal agencies, representing the full range of American law enforcement.

Meanwhile, the city's Democratic authorities have sought to mount a legal response. After initially announcing their cooperation with the Trump administration, the city's mayor and the district's attorney general – both Democrats – filed a lawsuit to contest the decision placing police chief Pamela Smith under the authority of DEA chief Terry Cole.

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