Protesters confront officers patrolling DC streets after Trump policing takeover

The federal takeover of policing in Washington D.C. sparked protests near Union Station Thursday night,with demonstrators calling police and National Guard officers "Nazis."

"You guys safe over here? You guys safe? Are you guys being murdered?" one protester was heard sarcastically asking officers. Others said they are "betraying" the country and "terrorizing the community."

"You will never know a moment of peace," one man said, accusing the officers of being "Nazis."

"Sad incel car. Sad incel car, look at that," a woman shouted as a Tesla Cybertruck is stopped.

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A police car is parked behind a yellow tape where, according to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., U.S. May 22, 2025.  (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

"Y’all are the reason why our country is going downhill," a protester shouted at officers during a traffic stop.

President Donald Trump announced the move on Monday, and the National Guard and a variety of federal agencies, including ICE and the FBI, have been patrolling and conducting operations throughout the city. Some arrests have already been made, including dozens of illegal immigrants.

Attorney General Pam Bondi initially ordered that Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole be in charge of the Metropolitan Police Department as an "emergency police commissioner," although that directive was later changed to ensure Cole worked with Mayor Muriel Bowser. Bondi also ordering more compliance between local police and federal immigration authorities.

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U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) conduct a traffic stop near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. on August 14, 2025.  (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Democrats have criticized the takeover as an overreach, with members of Congress asking for a resolution to terminate the "crime emergency" that was declared by the Trump administration.

"President Trump’s incursions against D.C. are among the most egregious attacks on D.C. home rule in decades. D.C. residents are Americans, worthy of the same autonomy granted to residents of the states," Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents D.C. as a delegate, said in a statement.

"Our local police force, paid for by D.C. residents, should not be subject to federalization, an action that wouldn’t be possible for any other police department in the country. No emergency exists in D.C. that the president did not create himself, and he is not using the D.C. Police for federal purposes, as required by law," she added.

TRUMP ACTIVATES NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO ADDRESS ‘TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL’ CRIME IN WASHINGTON

Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat from the District of Colombia, during a House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee hearing in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"D.C. residents know the reality on the ground – crime was out of control and President Trump’s actions are making the city safer. The left’s refusal to support widely popular issues with the American public – like stopping violent crime – are why their approval ratings are at historic lows and will continue to tank," she added. 

The city is suing over the action, arguing that it hinders the ability of the district to self-govern.

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"We are suing to block the federal government takeover of D.C. police. By illegally declaring a takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its temporary, limited authority under the law. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule DC has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it," D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb posted to X on Friday. 

"The federal government's power over DC is not absolute, and it should not be exercised as such. Section 740 of the Home Rule Act permits the President to request MPD's services. But it can only be done temporarily, for special emergencies, and solely for federal purposes," he added.

Fox News Digital's Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.