President Donald J. Trump has threatened to declare a new national emergency in Washington, D.C., after city leaders confirmed that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) would stop cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The warning comes after Trump invoked emergency powers under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act in August, federalizing the MPD and deploying thousands of National Guard troops to combat what he described as a wave of crime.
The order expired Sep 10., when congressional Republicans failed to extend it, returning control of the department to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration.
Mayor Bowser announced the shift in approach during a press conference addressing the city.
“The federal government [was informed] that the Metropolitan Police Department will no longer cooperate with ICE in removing and relocating illegal aliens,” Bowser said.
She added that if federal oversight continued, the city would be unable to maintain the decreased crime in the long term.
“Crime would eventually come roaring back,” Bowser said.
Trump responded on Truth Social by blasting Bowser’s decision and pledging to reassert federal authority.
“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!!!” he wrote.
The dispute highlights a long-running tension in the capital over local autonomy. Under the Home Rule Act, Congress and the President maintain broad authority to override D.C. laws and policing, a power Mayor Bowser has repeatedly criticized.
“D.C. residents deserve to govern their own city without interference from Congress or the President. Our local leaders know what is best for our communities, and federal micromanagement undermines that,” Bowser said.
Civil liberties groups argue that Trump’s framing of immigration enforcement as crime prevention is misleading.
Monica Hopkins, executive director of the ACLU of D.C., does not believe local police should cooperate with ICE.
“Immigration enforcement is not the role of local police — and when law enforcement aligns itself with ICE, it fosters fear among D.C. residents, regardless of citizenship status,” Hopkins said.
Advocates also warned that federal crackdowns often destabilize immigrant communities.
Casey Carter Swegman of the Tahirih Justice Center said the increased federal presence will not make people feel safer.
“This situation is tearing families apart and increasing fear and mistrust between communities,” Swegman said.
Some grassroots organizations argue the policy disproportionately targets vulnerable groups.
Eduardo Zelaya, organizing director at CASA, said he is concerned that the administration’s crackdown does not focus on legal status or criminal activity, but rather seems to specifically target minority communities in Washington, D.C.
“This is really alarming … This is not about you having a legal status or you being a criminal; this is completely targeting minorities in Washington, D.C.,” Zelaya said.
Trump and his republican allies in congress point to the results of the August surge as proof of success.
The decline in crime during the federal crackdown aligns with a broader downward trend that began before the intervention. Data from the Metropolitan Police Department shows that violent crime in Washington, D.C., has steadily decreased over the past several years, suggesting that the recent drop is part of a longer-term pattern rather than solely the result of increased federal enforcement.
President Trump’s administration reported more than 2,300 arrests, though an Associated Press review found over 40 percent were related to immigration enforcement rather than violent crime.
Some officials from outside the District supported the Aug. 11 emergency declaration to federalize D.C. enforcement.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine agreed to keep 150 Ohio National Guard members stationed in D.C. through November 2025, citing ongoing security needs.
As the debate continues, the standoff underscores the fragile balance between federal oversight and D.C.’s push for greater self-governance.
“Our North Star is protecting Home Rule and D.C.’s autonomy. D.C. residents, we are going to continue to make the right decisions — the tough decisions — and we are going to get to the other side of this,” Bowser said.
With Congress now considering a series of bills that could further limit home rule, the U.S. capital remains caught between two visions of public safety — one driven by federal immigration priorities and another shaped by local demands for autonomy.
Copy edited by Damenica Ellis
