The House voted Thursday to end the District’s status as a sanctuary city and force it to work with ICE to turn over illegal immigrants in city custody whom the federal government wants to deport.

The 224-194 vote saw only a smattering of Democrats join with Republicans in castigating the city for its current policy, which generally refuses cooperation.

Republicans saw the vote as a signal to other sanctuary jurisdictions to end their own policies and start to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“At the end of the day, illegal alien criminals who threaten our communities have no right to be here in the first place,” said Rep. James Comer, Kentucky Republican. “State and local governments must work with the Department of Homeland Security to share information on individuals they arrest.”

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has also called for the city’s law to be repealed. Given the low number of Democrats who voted for the bill in the House, it appears unlikely to pass in the Senate.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Clay Higgins, Louisiana Republican, would bar the city from having a law, policy or practice that blocks local officials from sharing information about a subject’s immigration status with the federal government.

It also specifically would require cooperation with ICE’s deportation “detainer” requests, which ask local officials to notify ICE before a target is released — and if possible to hold the person for pickup.

Mr. Higgins said the bill really shouldn’t be necessary, because in his view it’s what federal law already requires.

“The District of Columbia should be following the federal law in the first place,” he said. “I shouldn’t have to explain these things, but we are going to, by God, require that our nation’s capital comply with our nation’s federal law.”

Democrats said the measure ran roughshod over the city’s elected officials, who should be able to determine local laws.

“I strongly support the ability of the residents of the District of Columbia to govern themselves,” said Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, the senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. “The District of Columbia is in full compliance with federal law.”

He said that’s because the city doesn’t actively obstruct federal immigration officers.

But he said the city isn’t — and shouldn’t be — under any burden to assist. He said that could sour relations between the local cops and immigrant communities, denting the ability of police to detect and solve some crimes.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.