Federal agents appeared to be present on Georgetown University’s campus Aug. 13 following the police federalization and National Guard’s deployment in Washington, D.C., that began two days earlier, according to photos obtained and reviewed by The Hoya and a statement by Georgetown’s student government.
Descriptions of the sighting and pictures, including a photo taken by a member of The Hoya, seem to suggest at least six federal agents patrolled the north end of campus with vests identifying them as Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents, whose primary responsibility is to combat criminal drug networks. President Donald Trump deployed around 850 federal officers and agents in D.C. to assist local police and placed DEA Administrator Terrance Cole in charge of daily police operations, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The White House directed federal agents, including from the DEA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to support the National Guard and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) amid Trump’s claims of “out of control” crime in the District.
Dhruv Shah (SFS ’26), co-president of Georgetown University College Democrats (GUCD), said he saw the agents on campus around 7:15 p.m. alongside six other students.
“I did not see them interacting with any community members but their presence on campus coupled with silence from the university thus far on the militarization of D.C. by the Trump administration is very concerning,” Shah wrote to The Hoya.
In response to the police federalization and National Guard’s deployment, a university spokesperson told The Hoya on Aug. 11 that Georgetown “is monitoring the recent announcement and working to assess any impacts.” A university spokesperson did not immediately respond to comment on the alleged presence of DEA agents on campus.
Erik Smulson, Georgetown’s vice president for public affairs, sent an email to the Georgetown community the afternoon of Aug. 14 to address law enforcement developments in D.C.
Smulson said the Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) and the Capitol Campus Department of Public Safety (DPS), Georgetown’s police on the Capitol Campus, remain the university’s “primary law enforcement entities” and that the developments will likely not affect GUPD.
“We do not anticipate any significant changes to our long-standing, mutually respectful relationship with our local MPD precincts, which is critical to ensuring the safety of our campus and surrounding neighborhoods,” Smulson wrote in the email.
“Based on reporting in recent days, you may notice an increase in law enforcement presence throughout the city, including in areas of our campuses that are open to the general public,” Smulson added. “As always, we expect any law enforcement activity on our campuses to be conducted in a manner that respects the rights of our community members and fully complies with due process requirements.”
GUCD posted immigration and legal resources for students on Instagram in a post titled “Hoyas, Know Your Rights,” which Shah said was in response to the federal agents’ presence on campus.
The Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) also wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday night that federal agents were present on campus, but did not specify the number of agents or the reason for their presence.
GUSA President Ethan Henshaw (CAS ’26) said the agents’ presence on campus is dangerous.
“Patrolling university campuses is a waste of federal time and resources, and nothing more than a fear tactic being used by the Trump administration against students and residents of D.C.,” Henshaw wrote to The Hoya. “GUSA will be working with the Georgetown administration to figure out how to best educate students and protect them from any possible encounters this fall.”
Federal agents have also been seen in the surrounding Georgetown neighborhood, including on M St. and Wisconsin Ave., in front of Truist Bank and outside Taj of India. No federal agents were reported to be on the campuses of Howard University, American University or George Washington University as of Aug. 13.
Violent crime in D.C’s Ward 2, which includes the Georgetown neighborhood and the adjacent Dupont Circle and Foggy Bottom neighborhoods, decreased nearly 16% thus far in 2025 compared to the same period last year, according to police data. Ward 2 represents only 8.6% of violent crime across the District so far this year despite housing 11.6% of the city’s population.
Violent crime across D.C. decreased 26% compared to 2024.
Henshaw said he hopes the D.C. government and federal lawmakers combat Trump’s actions.
“A world where university students must walk past federal agents and the National Guard in order to get to class is a scary one that we must not normalize,” Henshaw wrote. “We must play our part in pushing back against this new reality.”
This story has been updated with recent developments.
