|
  
|
||||
 You
Might
Also Like    
     |
Published on
Wednesday, August 13, 2025.
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff and wire services
The Public Security Minister Mario Zamora-Cordero says the nation’s capital, San José, is safer than Washington, D.C., directly addressing comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump.
On Monday, Trump addressed crime in Washington, D.C., asserting that its homicide rate is higher than several Latin American capitals, including San José. He cited 2024 figures showing Washington at 41 homicides per 100,000 residents (in 2023), compared to San José’s 16.6 per 100,000.
Speaking
Tuesday at a police graduation ceremony at
the
National
Auditorium in San
José, Zamora stressed that the comparison
was rooted in homicide data and should not
be misinterpreted as labeling San José
among the world’s most dangerous cities.
“The fact that San José is safer than Washington, D.C., underscores the need for them to adopt certain security measures we’ve already implemented here,” Zamora told reporters. “President Trump specifically used us as an example of a city with better security than Washington.”
During a press conference at the White House, Trump listed several Latin American cities, including Panama City, Brasília, San José, Bogotá, Mexico City, and Lima, claiming their homicide rates were “double and triple” those of D.C. “So, do you want to live in places like that? I don't think so,” Trump said.
He
went on to assert that Washington’s 2023
homicide rate was 41 per 100,000, a
figure he described as the highest in the
world. “Other cities are pretty bad, but
they're not as bad as that,” Trump said.
“Juvenile offenders and crimes against
persons. It’s getting worse, not better.”
Trump
announced he is deploying the D.C. National
Guard and assuming temporary control of the
Metropolitan Police Department. “This
is Liberation Day in D.C., and we’re going
to take our capital back,” Trump said,
describing the move as “historic action to
rescue our nation’s capital from crime,
bloodshed, bedlam and squalor.”
According to a report by NPR, Trump’s actions were taken under the Home Rule Act of 1973, which grants D.C. limited self-governance while allowing Congress, and, in certain cases, the president, to override local authority. Residents elect their mayor and city council, but Congress retains control over legislation and the budget. The president also has powers in D.C. that do not apply to states.
The Ministry of Public Security (MSP) oversees national law enforcement, public order, and crime prevention.
---------------
          |
|||
|