TROOPS arrived in Washington DC today as US President Donald Trump’s unprecedented federal takeover of the capital began. 

He said the presence of 800 National Guard soldiers was necessary to fight crime, despite city leaders pointing to data showing that violence is down. 

The White House ordered federal forces to take over the city’s police department and reduce crime in what Mr Trump, without evidence, branded a lawless city. 

While the president has the legal right to take such action to a point, it remains unclear how visible and aggressive the federal presence will be, who will be targeted and how long it might last.

Yesterday, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the takeover was “not a productive step” and that the city’s hands are tied.

“We could contest that, but his authority is pretty broad,” she said.

Grassroots organiser April Goggans said residents had been preparing for a potential federal crackdown since 2020, when Mr Trump deployed National Guard troops during racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd.

She said she worried about what a surge in law enforcement could mean for residents’ freedoms.

“Regardless of where you fall on the political scale, understand that this could be you, your children, your grandmother, your co-worker who are brutalised or have certain rights violated,” she said.

National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People president Derrock Johnson described the action as “a federal coup,” saying: “There’s no emergency in DC, so why would he deploy the National Guard? 

“To distract us from his alleged inclusion in the Epstein files? To rid the city of unhoused people?”

Monica Hopkins, executive director of the city’s American Civil Liberties Union chapter, said such tactics could be applied in other predominantly black and brown cities, warning: “We’ve seen before how federal control of the DC National Guard and police can lead to abuse, intimidation and civil rights violations.”

The takeover coincides with a three-day trial in San Francisco over whether Mr Trump violated a 19th-century law barring military involvement in civilian law enforcement when he deployed troops in California in June.

Los Angeles saw days of unrest following mass immigration raids at workplaces.

Yesterday, two military officials testified that troops had been used to protect federal property and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents — even though intelligence assessments showed little danger.

The administration denies that troops were involved in civil law enforcement.