Diplomatic Security Service Agents Begin Patrolling Washington DC Streets, Making Arrests for Minor Offenses

Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agents, whose mandate is protecting diplomats and securing U.S. embassies abroad, began patrolling Washington DC streets alongside FBI, Customs and Border Patrol, and U.S. Marshals Service, making arrests for minor offenses unrelated to diplomatic security. The DSS deployment represents mission creep where agencies designed for specialized national security functions are redirected to domestic law enforcement in ways that exceed their statutory authority. By federalizing street-level policing in the nation’s capital, the administration creates a model for nationwide deployment of federal forces to bypass local democratic control. The expanded federal presence normalizes military and security agency involvement in civilian life, habituating both agents and the public to armed federal patrols in American cities. This infrastructure for federal occupation can be rapidly scaled for political purposes—suppressing protests, intimidating opposition, or enforcing presidential directives that local authorities refuse to implement. The DSS street patrols exemplify authoritarian creep: gradual expansion of federal security apparatus into civilian spaces under public safety pretexts.