D.C. Sanctuary City Status Challenged Amid Federal Control Dispute

Washington, D.C. is at the center of a legal and political battle over its ‘sanctuary city’ status, following a directive from Attorney General Pam Bondi that aims to dismantle local policies limiting cooperation between D.C. police and federal immigration agents. The move, announced Thursday, marks a significant reversal of the capital’s long-standing stance, allowing the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to fully collaborate with agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

This aggressive federal assertion of control over the District of Columbia comes as the administration cites growing concerns over crime and disorder. The action is underpinned by an executive order issued earlier this week, invoking emergency powers that effectively place the MPD under federal oversight for 30 days. Bondi, tasked with overseeing federal requests for the police department, has also named Terry Cole, the current head of the DEA, as Washington’s emergency police chief, and has moved to rescind several local police policies.

“D.C. will not remain a sanctuary city, actively shielding criminal aliens,” Bondi stated on Fox News Thursday. Her directive specifically targets guidance that previously restricted D.C. police from sharing immigration information during traffic stops, searching databases for immigration status without a criminal warrant, arresting individuals based solely on administrative immigration warrants, and transferring non-citizen detainees to ICE without a judge-signed criminal warrant.

However, city officials are swiftly pushing back. Late Thursday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser released a letter from District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who argues that Bondi’s directives are unlawful and not binding on the city. Schwalb asserted that D.C. police officers must continue to follow orders from Police Chief Pamela Smith, not those from officials not appointed by the Mayor.

This dispute is part of a broader federal crackdown on illegal immigration, with the administration actively seeking to penalize ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions through lawsuits and threats of federal funding cuts for non-cooperation with immigration enforcement.

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