Huge Policy Shift: Police Ordered to Cooperate

Police officer and vehicle with flashing lights — HUGE POLICE ORDER

Washington D.C. police can now notify federal immigration authorities about individuals not in custody during routine encounters, marking a dramatic and much-needed reversal of sanctuary city policies under Trump’s federal takeover.

Story Highlights

D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith has ordered and authorized officers to contact ICE about non-custodial individuals during traffic stops.
Policy change follows Trump’s unprecedented federal takeover of D.C. police operations four days earlier.
The move dismantles decades of sanctuary city protections that previously limited immigration enforcement cooperation.
Federal control includes National Guard deployment and coordination among eight federal law enforcement agencies.

Federal Takeover Triggers Immigration Enforcement Shift

Chief Pamela Smith issued an executive order, authorizing Metropolitan Police Department officers to notify federal immigration agencies about individuals encountered during routine police work, even when those individuals are not arrested or detained.

The directive represents a complete abandonment of Washington, D.C.’s longstanding sanctuary policies that previously protected immigrant communities from federal enforcement during local police encounters.

This policy shift occurred just four days after President Trump’s administration assumed direct federal control over D.C. police operations.

Just In: D.C. police are now allowed to notify federal immigration enforcement agencies of people who are not in custody, including during traffic stops, the chief of police said in an executive order. https://t.co/gGTb0weZTA

— NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) August 14, 2025

Unprecedented Federal Control Over Local Policing

Trump invoked Section 740 of the Home Rule Act to justify federal intervention in D.C. law enforcement, deploying the National Guard alongside eight federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals, and Homeland Security Investigations.

Attorney General Pam Bondi coordinates the multi-agency operation targeting crime and homelessness in the nation’s capital.

The federal takeover establishes direct control over local police decisions for up to 30 days, pending Congressional action, marking the first time such comprehensive federal oversight has been implemented for routine law enforcement operations.

Sanctuary Policy Dismantled Under Federal Authority

Washington, D.C., historically maintained sanctuary city principles designed to foster trust between immigrant communities and local police by limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

The new directive allows officers to contact immigration authorities during traffic stops, welfare checks, and other non-custodial encounters, fundamentally altering the relationship between police and immigrant residents who previously felt protected from deportation during routine interactions.

Community Impact and Civil Liberties Concerns

Mayor Muriel Bowser condemned the federal takeover as “unsettling and unprecedented,” expressing concerns about erosion of local governance and civil liberties protections.

Immigrant advocacy groups, including Ayuda, warn that the policy change will disproportionately harm immigrant families and undermine public safety by discouraging crime reporting and police cooperation.

Trump’s federal intervention demonstrates his administration’s commitment to dismantling sanctuary policies nationwide while establishing D.C. as a showcase for aggressive immigration enforcement.