President Donald Trump, in an executive order on Monday, expanded actions from his administration to address high crime in Washington, D.C.
In the executive order, Trump instructed the Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Urban Development to investigate housing safety and perform inspections of transit services that receive federal funds in D.C.
The order instructs the transportation secretary to look for conditions in transit services that “endanger transit workers,” and “take appropriate remedial action that is within the Department of Transportation’s authority” to address them.
The order also instructs the HUD secretary to look at the city’s housing authority and local landlords to see if they are complying with “crime-prevention and safety requirements” of federal housing agreements.
It specifies that investigators should consider housing providers’, including landlords, requirements to maintain safe and sanitary conditions in housing, or else place restrictions on “tenants who engage in criminal activity that threatens health, safety and the right to peaceful enjoyment for other tenants.” The order specified that this criminal activity would include “engaging in drug distribution, violent criminal activity, and domestic violence.”
If non-compliance is found, the executive order said it should be referred to the Attorney General, federal law enforcement, housing authority police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
ALLITERATIVE IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTERS REFLECT TRUMP’S BRANDING
The executive order mainly focused on expanding federal law enforcement actions in Washington, D.C. Other provisions in the order included escalating the federal government’s involvement in D.C.’s crime response by expanding law enforcement presence, and mobilizing more members of the National Guard to the city, and instructing Attorney General Pam Bondi to review D.C. police policies.
The order additionally asked Mayor Muriel Bowser to make updates and modifications “necessary to address the crime emergency and ensure public order and safety.”
Since Trump announced the federalization of the DC police department and sent national guard troops into the city, crime has decreased significantly. According to Attorney General Pam Bondi, 1,094 arrests have been made since the operation began.
