Intimidation tactic' Show of force dismays Washington residents

Washington DC's only Home Depot was busy with contractors and customers early on Thursday - but the Hispanic day labourers who usually wait for work under the car park's sparse trees were nowhere to be found.

- Chris Stein

Two days earlier, federal agents had swarmed the area and made arrests, with photos taken by bystanders posted on social media. Juwan Brooks, a store employee who saw the raid, said the agents had grabbed anyone who appeared Hispanic. "It was cool when Trump was saying it, but to actually see it first hand? I didn't like it," Brooks said. The day labourers "are not bad people", he said, adding that he wondered what had happened to the children of the men taken away.

Days after Donald Trump ordered federal agents and national guard on to Washington DC's streets to fight a crime wave that city leaders say is not happening, residents are getting used to the groups of armed men in their neighbourhoods, and their aggressive tactics.

Federal agents have been spotted setting up roadblocks and patrolling across the city. Trump, who exercised a never-before-used clause in the law governing the district to take over the Metropolitan police department (MPD) for 30 days, this week said he would seek Congress's approval to keep it under federal control for the "long term".

Washington DC sought an emergency restraining order against Trump's takeover of its police department yesterday, dubbing it a "hostile takeover".