US Vice President JD Vance's meet-and-greet with troops deployed in Washington was interrupted on Wednesday by repeated shouts of "Free DC," as the National Guard said forces from multiple Republican-led states had arrived in the capital.
President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard in Washington last week as part of what he has called a crackdown on crime, despite statistics showing violent offenses were down in the city.
The DC National Guard mobilized 800 troops for the mission, while Ohio, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia are sending a total of around 1,200 more.
Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller visited troops at Washington's Union Station Wednesday.
Loud boos could be heard from outside as Vance walked into a fast-food restaurant at the train station. People also shouted slogans including "Free DC! Free DC!" as he greeted troops and spoke with reporters.
Vance dismissed the hecklers as "a bunch of crazy protesters," saying: "We hear these people outside screaming 'Free DC.' Let's free DC from lawlessness. Let's free Washington, DC from one of the highest murder rates in the entire world."
According to the Igarape Institute, a Brazilian non-profit that monitors murder rates, the US capital had the world's 50th-highest rate among cities in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available.
The vice president's visit to Union Station came as the National Guard posted photos on social media showing personnel from the Republican-led states of Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and West Virginia arriving at the DC Armory.
"Guardsmen continue to support law enforcement partners in safeguarding property and ensuring the functions of government," the post on X said.
- Violent crime is down -
The overwhelmingly Democratic US capital faces allegations from Republican politicians that it is overrun by crime, plagued by homelessness and financially mismanaged.
But data from Washington police showed significant drops in violent crime between 2023 and 2024, though that was coming off the back of a post-pandemic surge.
Asked Wednesday if crime statistics had been manipulated by the local police, Vance asserted that "crime statistics all over our country were massively underreported, because a lot of people would pick up the phone, they call somebody and try to get help, and nobody would show up."
Response times in Washington and other areas were "way too long" because there was "too much crime and too few law enforcement agents on the street to bring order," he said.
In addition to sending troops onto the streets, Trump has also sought to take full control of the local Washington police department, attempting at one point to sideline its leadership.
After a legal challenge, the Trump administration agreed to allow the police chief to remain in charge, while seeking to push the police to assist with immigration enforcement.
Federal law enforcement personnel -- including Immigration and Customs Enforcement -- have also recently surged their presence on Washington's streets, drawing protests from residents.
The deployment of troops in Washington comes after Trump dispatched the National Guard and Marines to quell unrest in Los Angeles, California, that was sparked by immigration enforcement raids.
That marked the first time since 1965 that a US president deployed the National Guard against the wishes of a state governor.
Most National Guard forces answer to governors and have to be "federalized" to be brought under presidential control, but in Washington these troops already report only to the US president.
