'Free DC' protesters took to the streets in Washington, D.C., marking one year since President Donald Trump declared a crime emergency and deployed the National Guard to the nation’s capital. Demonstrators rallied against the continued military presence, describing it as a 'hostile military occupation' and demanding greater local control.

Washington residents and officials see President Donald Trump’s extended National Guard deployment as an attempt to restrict the heavily Democratic city’s autonomy.

Extending the deployment into 2029 will cost about $1.4 billion, according to a Defense Department estimate