The Washington Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will now allow limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities as the department comes under temporary federal control.
In an order issued on Aug. 14, Chief of Police Pamela Smith said MPD officers may share information with federal immigration enforcement agencies about individuals who are not in police custody, including during traffic stops, and may provide transportation for immigration agents and their detainees.
However, the order reaffirms existing policies barring police officers from sharing with federal immigration agents any information about those in MPD custody, including their release dates, locations, addresses, personal details, photographs, or criminal case information.
It also maintains that immigration agents may not question people in MPD custody and that the department will not hold individuals beyond their lawful release time, even if requested by immigration authorities.
The order further instructs officers not to arrest people solely because they are flagged by immigration authorities, unless there is an outstanding warrant or underlying offense that justifies arrest. Officers are likewise barred from searching databases solely to check someone’s immigration status or investigate civil immigration violations.
Both Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said their personnel are already patrolling the nation’s capital.
ICE on Aug. 14 shared video footage showing agents interacting with homeless people and drivers during traffic stops, while CBP senior adviser Ron Vitiello said in an interview that about 30 CBP employees are currently deployed in Washington.
“We’re happy to participate,” Vitiello said.
The changes follow President Donald Trump’s decision to place the MPD under federal control and send in 800 National Guard troops throughout the city to support law enforcement efforts, citing what he called record-high levels of violent crime, including carjackings and homicides.
“Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs, and homeless people,” the president said on Aug. 11. “And we’re not going to let it happen anymore.”
The White House posted graphics showing a 2024 homicide rate of 27.54 per 100,000—worse than those of Mexico City and Bogotá, Colombia, both notorious for entrenched gang violence.
However, MPD statistics indicate that the overall violent crime rate fell by 35 percent from 2023 to 2024 and is the lowest it has been in more than 30 years, with homicide down by 32 percent. Trump dismissed the department’s data as a “total fraud.”
“The real stats went through the roof,” Trump said on Aug. 13 at the Kennedy Center. “Crime is the worst it’s ever been. But … you’ll see a big change, and people are feeling safe already.”
Under Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act of 1973, a president can federalize the MPD for up to 48 hours before notifying Congress. Federal control can then be extended for up to 30 days. Any extension beyond that would require a joint resolution by the upper and lower houses of Congress, which are in recess and will not return until Sept. 2.
Trump on Aug. 13 told reporters that he would be able to extend beyond the 30 days without Congress “if it’s a national emergency.”
“I never went to Congress for anything,” Trump said, pointing to his actions that effectively closed the southern border through a declaration of an invasion of illegal immigrants. “I don’t want to call a national emergency. But if I have to, I will. I think the Republicans in Congress will approve this pretty much unanimously.”
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