If local police in the nation’s capital refuse to comply with immigration enforcement, President Trump threatened on Monday to declare a national emergency.
In a nocturnal post on Truth Social, the president warned that while his first order had lowered district crime, it would increase again if local police did not comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Last Monday, he made his remarks following the expiration of the national emergency and government control that he had proclaimed in August. Trump has threatened to attack other cities that are mostly governed by Democrats and has justified the move, which involved deploying National Guard troops, as essential in the battle against crime. Nevertheless, many have labelled it a “dangerous power grab.”
On September 2, Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, DC, demanded perpetual cooperation with federal law enforcement, while making it clear that the nation’s capital did not require a “federal emergency.”
While Bowser did not specifically name ICE in her directive, she did state last week that she did not anticipate the Metropolitan Police Department’s involvement in immigration enforcement. She insisted that the department would just go back to the “status quo.”
It is not the mission of the MPD to enforce immigration laws, and once the emergency is over, that mission will also be discontinued, she stressed.
Trump tweeted Monday that the Metropolitan Police Department will no longer assist with ICE in removing and transferring dangerous illegal aliens. Bowser, who has presided over this violent criminal takeover of our Capital for years, notified the Federal Government of her decision.
The return of CRIME would be thunderous if I gave in to this. Rest assured, I am standing on your side and will not stand idly by while this happens in Washington, D.C. I am prepared to declare a national emergency and, if needed, bring the matter under federal jurisdiction.
Although the federal emergency has reduced crime in Washington, it is not accurate to say that there is now “no crime,” as Trump has frequently said.
In contrast to his earlier remarks, Trump now criticizes Bowser for her lack of cooperation with federal officials, as shown in his most recent post. White House sources informed HEADLINESFOREVER that Trump was fine with the 30-day takeover ending, citing the city’s cooperation as the key reason.
In the event of an emergency, the president can temporarily assume control of the DC police force under the Home Rule Act, which gives Congress supervision and responsibility over the nation’s capital while granting inhabitants limited self-governance. However, extending of this period would have necessitated congressional action.
Officials in Memphis, Tennessee, are preparing for a possible operation this week, while Trump has threatened to deploy National Guard troops to other cities in recent weeks in an effort to crack down on crime. These cities include Chicago, Boston, and most recently, Memphis, Tennessee.
Following advisors’ warnings that deploying soldiers without the Illinois governor’s consent may lead to legal complications, the president ultimately decided against targeting Chicago, according to people familiar with the subject who spoke with HEADLINESFOREVER last week.
A Washington Post-Schar School survey found that almost 80% of DC residents are against the federal operation.
Immigrant laborers report a general sense of fear among local residents due to the operation’s associated spike in immigration arrests.
According to Bowser, an order from Attorney General Pam Bondi “almost exclusively focused on immigration enforcement and homeless encampment enforcement” in late August, in response to a question about whether Trump’s crime emergency was used as a pretext to execute the administration’s immigration policies.
“So, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt,” Bowser said.