Trump orders new federal hiring to fight crime in U.S. cities

An array of federal agencies will soon begin hiring law enforcement personnel for urban deployments under a new executive order as President Trump looks to ramp up his efforts to exert federal control over Washington and other large U.S. cities. 

Trump’s order called for the creation of a new, specialized unit made up of hires from various federal law enforcement components that will focus on ensuring public safety. He has already assumed control of the capital’s police department and vowed to take similar efforts elsewhere. 

The president directed the National Park Service to hire more U.S. Park Police staff in Washington. He also tasked the Justice Department to hire additional prosecutors in the U.S. Attorneys Office for D.C. “to focus on prosecuting violent and property crimes.” 

Additionally, he ordered various components of the departments of Interior, Transportation, and Homeland Security, as well as the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with hiring, training and equipping a new unit that will deploy to Washington to ensure public safety “whenever the circumstances necessitate.” That unit will deploy to other cities as necessary, Trump said in his order. The same agencies have sent staff to patrol in Washington in recent weeks as part of the president’s D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force. 

Trump last week suggested he would send federal officers and agents to other Democratic-run cities, starting with Chicago and New York City. On Monday, however, he said he was reconsidering that plan, even as he said he wanted the personnel to go from Washington “to other places.” 

“In a certain way, you really want to be asked to go,” Trump said from the White House. “I hate to barge into a city and be treated horribly by corrupt politicians.”

He later added, “I really want to be appreciated.” 

Trump noted in his order the hiring would be “subject to the availability of appropriations and applicable law.” Congress could opt to provide additional funding for the deployments—Trump has said he is asking lawmakers for $2 billion as part of his Washington reformation project—or the agencies could use existing funds for the cause. The recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act contains tens of billions of dollars for DHS and Justice agencies to hire tens of thousands of new law enforcement personnel. All other federal agencies are currently operating under a hiring freeze that Trump has twice extended.

Federal personnel have deployed throughout Washington in recent weeks at Trump’s direction, where they have conducted activities ranging from enforcing traffic infractions to making arrests related to alleged immigration violations. Around 500 federal officers and agents are currently patrolling in the capital, with support from around 2,000 National Guard soldiers. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday 719 arrests have been made in Washington since the federal deployments began, though she did not specify whether that was in addition to the normal arrests by the city’s own police force.

The mechanism for deploying staff from the agencies that have patrolled Washington to other cities remains unclear. Their presence in the capital was aided by Trump’s decision to federalize control of the district’s police force, an option uniquely available due to the 1973 Home Rule Act not applicable to any other cities.

Crime nationally has trended downward in recent years, including most major cities like Washington.