DC residents debate safety gains a year into Trump’s Guard deployment

Washington, DC – A year after United States President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, DC, opinions are mixed among residents, politicians and experts about the mission’s success.Thousands of troops were deployed to DC in August 2025 as part of Trump’s Safe and Beautiful Task Force after he declared a crime emergency in the city.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3National Guard deployment to Washington, DC, will cost US roughly $1.4bnlist 2 of 3Trump administration to dismiss Reflecting Pool charges against David Hearnlist 3 of 3America250 vs Freedom 250: What to know about the US’s 250th anniversaryend of listThe arrival of the soldiers triggered immediate opposition from many DC residents, with protests throughout the year. The advocacy group Free DC organised 11 days of demonstrations culminating in a protest outside the White House on Tuesday against what the group calls a “hostile military occupation”.“I think Trump should go ahead and let them go home,” Ybonne Coles, a 60-year-old restaurant worker who was born and raised in the capital, said on a hot August day in Farragut Square as several soldiers patrolled nearby.“They ain’t doing nothing...