President Donald Trump signed a pair of sweeping executive orders on Thursday, launching a new federal effort to crack down on crime, immigration violations, and what he calls “ideological decay” in the nation’s capital. The move fulfills a long-promised campaign pledge to directly intervene in the governance of Washington, D.C., a city where Trump has often clashed with local leadership.
The newly created “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force” will operate under federal authority and is instructed to “maximize immigration enforcement,” clear homeless encampments, and deploy a more robust federal law enforcement presence throughout the capital.
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The order also includes instructions to crack down on fare evasion in the city’s Metro system and expedite concealed carry licenses for what the order calls “law-abiding citizens.”
“We’re taking our capital back — safe, clean, and proud,” Trump said during a brief White House signing ceremony.
Key Measures in the Executive Order:
- Immigration Crackdown: The task force is directed to use all available federal, state, and local resources to apprehend and deport undocumented immigrants in the D.C. area.
- Law Enforcement Expansion: Federal law enforcement agencies will increase their physical presence in the city.
- Homeless Encampments & Graffiti: The task force is charged with clearing encampments on federal land and removing graffiti, part of a broader plan to “beautify” Washington.
- Public Safety Reforms: Trump’s order calls for strengthening pre-trial detention policies to keep “dangerous criminals off the streets.”
- Metro Enforcement: The task force will focus on addressing fare evasion and transit-related crimes in cooperation with Metro authorities.
- Gun Rights: The administration wants to streamline the concealed carry permit process, reducing delays and expanding gun access for eligible residents.
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In a separate but related action, Trump signed another executive order on Thursday targeting what he calls “improper ideology” in the Smithsonian Institution, its museums, and even the National Zoo.
The order directs the Vice President and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to work with Congress to ensure that federal appropriations to the Smithsonian comply with new guidelines.
Notably, Trump’s order stipulates that the forthcoming American Women’s History Museum must “not recognize men as women in any respect.”
It also instructs the Secretary of the Interior to review whether public monuments and memorials under federal jurisdiction have been removed or altered since 2020 in ways that “perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history.”
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