US President Donald Trump on Monday (September 15) threatened to declare a new national emergency and federalize Washington, D.C., after Mayor Muriel Bowser said the city’s police would not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The dispute centers on whether the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) should share information with federal immigration authorities.
ICE faces criticism and allegations
ICE has drawn criticism for detaining suspects on immigration grounds and has faced allegations of racial profiling.
Trump claims crime plummeted under federal patrols
Trump, posting on Truth Social, claimed crime in the capital had plummeted since his August deployment of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops. “In just a few weeks, the ‘place’ is absolutely booming… for the first time in decades, virtually NO CRIME,” he wrote.
Warning of crime surge without ICE
Warning that non-cooperation with ICE would “bring crime roaring back,” he pledged: “To the people and businesses of Washington, D.C., DON’T WORRY, I AM WITH YOU, AND WON’T ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN. I’ll call a National Emergency, and Federalize, if necessary!!!”
Bowser, who has previously credited Trump’s surge of federal officers with reducing crime, signed an executive order earlier this month mandating coordination with federal agencies — but excluded ICE from the directive.
Federal takeover of D.C. police in August
Trump had already taken direct control of the MPD for 30 days beginning August 11, in what the White House described as a crackdown on crime and homelessness. About 2,000 National Guard troops, including reinforcements from Republican-led states, continue to patrol the district even though the original 30-day declaration has expired. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine confirmed his state had deployed 150 military police to Washington through November 30 at the request of the Trump administration.
The standoff over ICE cooperation and Trump’s warning of renewed federalization highlight the ongoing tension between the District’s local government and the President over who controls policing in the nation’s capital.
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