U.S. Vice President JD Vance has compared crime in Washington, D.C., to levels in Trinidad and Tobago, using the Caribbean nation as a reference point while defending President Donald Trump’s security crackdown in the capital.
Vance, joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, visited National Guard troops stationed at Union Station on Tuesday. He argued that crime statistics in Washington were “massively underreported” and described the city as plagued by “drug addicts,” “vagrants,” and the “chronically homeless.”
- Advertisement -
Protesters gathered outside the station booed Vance, chanting “shame” and “we want the military out of our streets.”
“A week ago, D.C. had a higher murder rate than Trinidad and Tobago, which the State Department has warned Americans against visiting because of crime,” Vance said. “We ought to be able to enjoy great American cities. That’s what we’re trying to do in the Trump administration.”
According to the latest U.S. travel advisory, updated May 7, Trinidad and Tobago remains at Level 3, urging travelers to reconsider travel due to violent crime, terrorism, and kidnapping. While the advisory reflects the end of a State of Emergency in April, it has not yet been revised to account for a newly declared one.
Both Washington and Trinidad and Tobago have recorded declines in homicides this year. D.C. police reported 99 homicides through August 11, compared with 112 in the same period of 2024. In Trinidad and Tobago, 236 murders have been logged so far, down from 400 at this point last year.
Guardian Media sought responses from Foreign Minister Sean Sobers and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar but received no comment. Persad-Bissessar, however, has continued to stress close ties with Washington, stating in June that her government stands “solidly with the American government” on regional security matters, particularly in relation to Venezuela.
