WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House announced on Thursday that a planned increase in federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C., would focus on areas with heavy tourist traffic and other hot spots around the city beginning at midnight.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he may use the National Guard to police the streets of the capital and a White House official said federal law enforcement would build its presence there this week.
The move represents the latest step by Trump and his administration toward taking over running the city that serves as the seat of the U.S. government.
“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.,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Multiple agencies are contributing to the effort, starting in the early hours of Friday morning.
The operation will begin as a 7-day effort that may be extended, a separate White House official said.
It will be led by the U.S. Park Police and include officials from the Capitol Police, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The National Guard was not listed by the official as taking part.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Saad Sayeed)
