Trump's federal crackdown on D.C. causes confusion: What to know

President Trump is stepping up federal law enforcement in D.C. this week, deploying officials from over 15 agencies in a high-profile push to crack down on crime.Why it matters: D.C.'s mix of federal- and city-controlled land creates overlapping law enforcement zones — making it easier to increase arrests, but also raising alarms over accountability and civil rights.State of play: Trump's high-visibility, multi-agency operation launched Friday — led by the U.S. Park Police, with potential for extension.It includes familiar agencies like U.S. Capitol Police, Metro and Amtrak police.Other agencies seen less frequently on D.C. streets include: DEA, FBI, ATF, Homeland Security and the U.S. Marshals.Federal officers will patrol in marked units and uniforms.How they'll coordinate with the Metropolitan Police Department is unclear. The agency didn't respond to Axios' requests for comment.🧭 Target zones: Tourist-heavy areas — the National Mall, downtown museums — plus Rock Creek Park, Anacostia Park, Union Station, the George Washington and Baltimore-Washington parkways, and more.Friction point: Civil rights groups warn the crackdown is unnecessary and risky."A huge concern is training. When you start injecting entities with a different mission and different way of looking at the world, that can be a recipe for danger," ACLU-D.C. legal director Scott Michelman tells Axios.He points to federal authorities' response to racial justice demonstrations in Lafayette Square in 2020 during the first Trump administration, which led to lawsuits and policy changes years later."Accountability mechanisms for federal law enforcement — if they violate the Constitution — are so much weaker versus state and local."Meanwhile, D.C.'s patchwork of city-controlled and federal land — and generally harsher penalties for federal violations — makes things murkier.Zoom in: 90% of D.C. parks are federally controlled. That includes neighborhood gathering spaces like Malcolm X, Dupont and Logan Circles, as well as most of downtown's green space.Penalties can be more severe on federal land for minor offenses — including open alcohol containers or marijuana possession, which is legal in D.C."You can come across any agency at any given time," says Sharell Jarvis, an organizer with Free DC, a group that campaigns to protect Home Rule. Catch up quick: On Tuesday, Trump threatened to federalize D.C. following what police said was an unarmed carjacking attempt near Logan Circle and beating of a former DOGE staffer.D.C. crime is declining. But nonviolent arrests are up under Trump's "D.C. Safe and Beautiful" executive order, which launched a federal task force in March.What we're watching: How enforcement plays out in the coming week and beyond.

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