Washington DC sues Trump administration over National Guard deployment

Washington DC has sued the Trump administration over its deployment of the National Guard in the nation's capital, Report informs via BBC.

The lawsuit accuses President Donald Trump of violating the US Constitution and federal law by sending troops into DC without the consent of local leaders.

The suit, filed by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb on Thursday, says that the deployment of troops is undermining the city's autonomy and hurting the local economy.

In recent weeks, Trump has deployed hundreds of troops, some of them armed, in an effort to "clean up" the district, which is not part of any US state. He has threatened to send troops to other Democratic strongholds as well, such as Chicago and New Orleans.

"Deploying the National Guard to engage in law enforcement is not only unnecessary and unwanted, but it is also dangerous and harmful to the District and its residents," Schwalb said in a statement. "It's DC today but could be any other city tomorrow. We've filed this action to put an end to this illegal federal overreach."

No hearings have been scheduled yet in the suit, which was filed in federal district court.

Trump, who has not yet commented on the suit, began deploying troops to the streets of the nation's capital on 11 August as part of his crackdown on crime and homelessness.

Federal law enforcement agents, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), are also patrolling city streets, operating checkpoints and taking suspected illegal immigrants into custody.

Trump is expected to approve an extension of the National Guard's deployment in DC through December, US media reported on Wednesday.