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President Donald Trump has directed federal law enforcement to increase its presence throughout Washington, D.C., following a concerning surge in violent crime, including an incident in which a former DOGE worker nicknamed “Big Balls” was brutally beaten in the streets this week.
Trump signed an executive order in March establishing the “Making DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force.” Now the administration is taking a whole-of-government approach by deploying additional law enforcement to increase presence and improve overall public safety in the nation’s capital city, according to a source familiar with the plans.
The operation, which will use both local and federal law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, DEA and others, begins at midnight on Thursday and will initially last for seven days with the option to extend “as needed.”
Law enforcement will focus on improving safety in high-traffic tourist areas and other known hotspots.
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Following a former DOGE worker nicknamed “Big Balls” being brutally beaten by gang members in the streets of Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump indicated he is strongly considering taking control of the district to stamp out the rampant crime and violence plaguing the nation’s capital city. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images and AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
In a statement to Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced “there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C.” beginning on Thursday night.
“Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long,” Leavitt said. “President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C.”
She added, “President Trump is committed to making our Nation’s capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world.”
The source familiar with the plans noted that stamping out the “out-of-control violent crime plaguing DC” has been an “ongoing priority” for the president and that the move is him delivering on his campaign promise to restore the capital city.
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A view of the White House at night in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 23, 2022. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
Among the priorities laid out in Trump’s executive order, he directed the task force to deploy a more robust federal law enforcement presence and coordinate with local law enforcement in the District of Columbia, including the National Mall and Memorial Parks, museums, monuments, Lafayette Park, Union Station, Rock Creek Park, Anacostia Park, the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the Suitland Parkway, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
The order also instructs the task force to review and, if needed, revise federal prosecutorial policies on pretrial detention of criminal defendants to ensure individuals who pose a threat to public safety are detained to the maximum extent permitted by law.
Additionally, the order instructs the task force to direct maximum enforcement of federal immigration law, redirecting federal, state or local law enforcement resources to apprehend and deport illegals throughout the area.
WATCH: TRUMP HINTS HE WILL FEDERALIZE DC SOON, BRING IN NATIONAL GUARD AFTER ‘BIG BALLS’ ATTACK
President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
The source said the additional law enforcement will be devoted to protecting D.C. residents and visitors from the “scourge of violent crime plaguing” the city.
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“President Trump promised to Make DC Safe Again on the campaign trail – this is another promise kept,” they said.
