The District of Columbia has initiated a lawsuit against the Trump administration and Attorney General Pam Bondi, challenging recent actions aimed at dismantling local directives that restrict cooperation between D.C. police and federal immigration authorities. This legal action underscores the Trump administration's controversial takeover of the District's police force, raising concerns over local governance and public safety.
According to D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, the Trump administration's maneuvers to terminate these crucial policies represent an alarming effort to strip D.C. residents of their control over local law enforcement. The complaint highlights that such actions would effectively place the District's police force under federal oversight, undermining local authority.
On Thursday night, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an order that significantly reversed existing sanctuary policies in the nation’s capital. This order permits the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to temporarily collaborate fully with federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other immigration authorities. Such a shift raises serious concerns about the potential impacts on community trust and safety.
In conjunction with her order, Bondi appointed Terry Cole, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as the emergency police chief for Washington, D.C. This move was justified by citing President Trump’s emergency declaration, which seeks to reverse various local policing policies.
Attorney General Schwalb is urging a federal judge to invalidate Bondi's order, asserting that the U.S. attorney general lacks the legal authority to impose operational control over the D.C. police department. Schwalb emphasized that these unlawful assertions of authority could result in immediate and irreparable harm to the District, jeopardizing both public safety and the operational integrity of the MPD.
Schwalb stated, "There is no greater risk to public safety in a large, professional law enforcement organization like MPD than to not know who is in command." This uncertainty could lead to chaos within the department, endangering both the community and law enforcement personnel.
Bondi's recent directive rescinded guidance previously established by D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith, which permitted officers to provide limited assistance to ICE agents while still restricting substantial local involvement in federal immigration enforcement. This earlier guidance allowed police to transport ICE agents and share immigration information during traffic stops but maintained a barrier against extensive collaboration.
Furthermore, the order eliminated restrictions that prevented D.C. police from searching databases to ascertain an individual's immigration status without a criminal warrant. It also suspended rules that prohibited D.C. officers from making arrests based solely on administrative immigration warrants issued by ICE officials, rather than judges. This dramatic shift represents a significant departure from the established requirement that officers must have a criminal nexus before executing an arrest.
Bondi's efforts to overhaul MPD policies are in direct conflict with D.C.'s 2020 laws, which grant local police independent authority from federal immigration officials. In June, the D.C. Council rejected Mayor Muriel Bowser's attempt to repeal the sanctuary city status as part of a 2026 budget bill, reaffirming the city's commitment to maintaining autonomy in its immigration policies.
As the situation unfolds, CBS News has reached out to Mayor Bowser's office for further comments regarding the lawsuit and the implications of Bondi's order on D.C. residents.
