The showdown in Washington is the latest attempt by Trump to test the boundaries of his legal authority to carry out his tough-on-crime agenda, relying on obscure statutes and a supposed state of emergency to speed up the mass deportation of people in the United States illegally.

Trump has painted a picture of the U.S. capital as a city gripped by a wave of crime and pervasive homelessness, despite both federal and city crime statistics showing that violent crime has declined precipitously since a spike in 2023.

The legal fight began hours after US attorney general Pam Bondi issued an order on Thursday night that gave the federal government the power to appoint a new head of the city's Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).