The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, D.C., is now allowing its officers to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, according to NBC Washington, which cited an internal memo. Chief of Police Pamela Smith issued an executive order authorizing MPD officers to assist federal immigration agencies in specific ways, even though D.C. remains a sanctuary city.
MPD officers are now permitted to share personal or identifying information with immigration agencies about individuals who are not under arrest or in police custody, even during routine traffic stops. They are also allowed to help transport federal immigration officers and detainees.
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Federal control in DC
The executive order was issued just days after President Donald Trump federalized the Metropolitan Police Department, citing a rise in violent crime as the reason for deploying the National Guard. Under Trump, federal law enforcement, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have been deployed to patrol D.C. alongside local police.
D.C. leaders, including Mayor Muriel Bowser, spoke out against Trump’s move to bring in federal officers. Bowser stated that violent crime in the city has decreased overall, suggesting improvements were already underway.
On the other hand, Gregg Pemberton, head of the police union, argued the department needs more officers to function effectively, potentially implying that the reported crime drop doesn’t tell the full story.
Trump, Homan say DC will not be a sanctuary city
Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, appeared on Fox News on Wednesday, Aug. 13, and said, “D.C. under federal control will not be a sanctuary city.”
“We’re working with the police hand-in-hand. When we encounter a criminal illegal alien, they’ll be turned over to ICE, and that’s the way it should be,” Homan said. “I’m not saying every illegal alien in D.C. is a criminal, but many are, so these are people we’re gonna focus on.”
MPD previously had a different policy regarding immigration enforcement. Officers did not ask about citizenship or residency status unless that information was directly related to a crime.
Trump responded to Smith’s order on Thursday
“When they stop people, they find they’re illegal, they report them, they give them to us, etc, that’s a very positive thing,” Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Aug. 14. “I have heard that it just happened. That’s a great step. That’s a great step, if they’re doing that. Yeah, I think this could happen all over the country. We want to stop crime.”
Smith’s order also clarified that MPD officers are not to arrest someone solely on the basis of a federal immigration warrant, unless it is a criminal warrant.
