On Thursday, following President Trump’s determined violent crime crackdown in Washington, D.C., the city’s police department has decided to break from its existing policy as a “sanctuary city” to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Sanctuary cities” generally restrict local law enforcement from notifying federal immigration enforcement authorities about individuals not in custody. Some examples include Boston, Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, and San Diego.
A press release signed by Washington D.C. Police Chief Pamela A. Smith stated, “Effective immediately, members may assist federal immigration enforcement agencies with the following: Sharing information about persons not in MPD custody (e.g., during traffic stops). Providing transportation for federal immigration agency employees and detained subjects,” NBC 4’s Mark Segraves reported.
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The statement cautioned, “Members shall not arrest individuals based solely on federal immigration warrants or detainers as long as there is no additional criminal warrant or underlying offense for which the individual is subject to arrest. … members shall not provide to a federal immigration enforcement agency, for an individual in MPD custody, their date and time of release, location, address, personal identifying information, medical information, photograph, or criminal case information. ”
BREAKING: DC Police Chief issues new executive orders allowing police to notify ICE about subjects not in custody, including during traffic stops and to help ICE in the transportation of detained suspects. @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/wXfYlfp6Yv
— Mark Segraves (@SegravesNBC4) August 14, 2025
In April, President Trump stated on social media, “No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims. They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World. Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!”
“The Trump administration has been pushing city and state officials to hold suspects longer to transfer them to federal custody without the use of judicial warrants,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
On April 28, Trump issued an executive order that ordered the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to “publish a list of States and local jurisdictions obstructing federal immigration law enforcement and notify each sanctuary jurisdiction of its non-compliance, providing an opportunity to correct it. Sanctuary jurisdictions that do not comply with federal law may lose federal funding.”
Back in February, President Donald Trump suggested the federal government should “take over” Washington, D.C., to crack down on crime and address widespread homelessness, declaring, “I think that we should govern the District of Columbia. I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely flawless.”
“And I think we should take over Washington, D.C. We could save people from getting killed,” Trump added. “They have a great police department there. Somehow they’re not utilized properly. We should govern D.C. The federal government should take over the governance of D.C. and run it really, really properly.”
Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this article.
Related: ‘Law And Order’: Trump Says Feds Should ‘Take Over’ Washington D.C.