Attorney General Pam Bondi Takes Control of DC Police, Ends Sanctuary City Policies in Push for Trump’s Immigration Enforcement
In an unexpected development, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an order on Thursday evening directing the Washington D.C. Mayor and Police Department to discontinue the city’s sanctuary policies and transfer control of the police department to federal authorities.
In this order, Bondi appointed Terry Cole, head of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), as the district’s “emergency police commissioner,” granting him complete authority over the police department during the takeover. The order also instructed the DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to rescind a directive signed by Chief Pamela Smith earlier in the day, which limited the sharing of information with federal immigration officials.
Furthermore, MPD leaders were ordered to seek approval from Commissioner Cole before issuing any further directives. Justice Department officials believed that the previous directive was designed to uphold the sanctuary city policies the DOJ aims to eliminate, according to a source familiar with the matter.
In response to this order, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed her disagreement on social media, stating, “There is no statute that conveys the District’s personnel authority to a federal official.” Bowser also shared a letter from DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who deemed Bondi’s order unlawful.
At the time of writing, MPD has yet to comment on the matter. The order indicates that the federal takeover in D.C. will align with the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement objectives, using law enforcement control in the district as a means to abolish city laws protecting undocumented migrants.
“DC will no longer serve as a sanctuary city shielding criminal aliens,” Bondi stated in an interview on Fox News Thursday. “This will not occur.”
Christina Henderson, a member of the DC City Council, responded to the order on social media Thursday, stating, “Respectfully, the Attorney General does not have the authority to revoke laws.”
Earlier on Thursday, Smith signed an executive order permitting DC police officers to share information about individuals not in their custody with federal immigration enforcement agencies, and allowing local police to assist with transporting agency personnel and detainees. However, the earlier order still prohibits officers from accessing police databases solely for a person’s immigration status, making inquiries about a person’s immigration status for civil immigration law purposes, or arresting anyone based solely on federal immigration warrants.
This story is ongoing and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.