Washington DC sues Trump administration over National Guard deployment

Washington DC has sued the Trump administration over its deployment of the National Guard in the nation’s capital.

The lawsuit accuses President Donald Trump of violating the US Constitution and federal law by sending troops into DC without the consent of local leaders.

The suit, filed by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb on Wednesday, says that the deployment of troops is undermining the city’s autonomy and hurting the local economy.

In recent weeks, Trump has deployed hundreds of troops, some of them armed, in an effort to “clean up” the district, which is not part of any US state. He has threatened to send troops to other Democratic strongholds as well, such as Chicago and New Orleans.

“Deploying the National Guard to engage in law enforcement is not only unnecessary and unwanted, but it is also dangerous and harmful to the District and its residents,” Schwalb said in a statement. “It’s DC today but could be any other city tomorrow. We’ve filed this action to put an end to this illegal federal overreach.”

The president, who has not yet commented on the suit, began deploying troops to the streets of the nation’s capital on 11 August as part of his crackdown on crime and homelessness.

Federal law enforcement agents, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), are also patrolling city streets, operating checkpoints and taking suspected illegal immigrants into custody.

One day before DC’s lawsuit, a federal judge in California ruled that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles this summer was illegal because it violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the power of the federal government to use military force for domestic matters.

The White House said Trump is trying to “protect American cities from violence and destruction” and that the judge is “trying to usurp the authority of the Commander-in-Chief”.

Separately, the White House has touted its efforts in DC, saying hundreds of arrests have been made since the operation began and that crime rates are down because of the president’s actions.

According to crime figures published by Washington DC’s Metropolitan Police (MPDC), violent offences fell after peaking in 2023 and in 2024 hit their lowest level in 30 years.

They are continuing to fall, according to preliminary data for 2025.

Violent crime overall is down 26% this year compared to the same point in 2024, and robbery is down 28%, according to the MPDC.

The city’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, has called the National Guard deployment costly and unnecessary.