Original Date Announced

The Washington Post reports that D.C. Police Chief Pamela A. Smith issued an order allowing police officers to aid federal immigration enforcement by sharing information about people not in custody, including those encountered at traffic stops, and by transporting federal immigration-agency employees and their detainees. The order departs from previous policy, which stated that D.C. police officers “shall not assist ICE with arrest or transport of individuals solely based on ICE warrants or detainers.” The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) characterized the order as a "clarification" that does not affect the D.C. law prohibiting police from providing information about people in D.C. custody to DHS or holding people at the D.C. jail past their release date at DHS's request. The order also states that D.C. police are still forbidden to search databases solely for immigration status and must not arrest people solely for immigration reasons.

The policy change comes after the federal government took temporary control of the MPD and deployed hundreds of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers to the city.

Trump 2.0 [ID #1919]

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.14 Reported: Bondi Tightens Trump Administration’s Grip on D.C. Police - The New York Times

The New York Times reports that Attorney General Pam Bondi has rescinded D.C. policies which prevent the Metropolitan Police from assisting with federal immigration-enforcement efforts, investing Drug Enforcement Administration head Terry Cole with "all the powers and duties" of the D.C. police chief in his new capacity as the "emergency police commissioner." As such, the D.C. police, including its chief, "must now receive approval from Mr. Cole before issuing any directive." The Attorney General's directive also "declar[ed] invalid [sanctuary] city regulations dating to 2024 and 2023."

Reportedly, D.C. attorney general Brian Schwalb advised Mayor Muriel Bowser that the U.S. Attorney General's directive was "unlawful" and that the mayor was "not legally obligated to follow it." In an advisory letter, he stated that Congress's 1973 Home Rule Act does not authorize the President to "'alter the chain of command,' to rescind or suspend orders or to 'otherwise determine how the District pursues purely local law enforcement.'"

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.15 Complaint - District of Columbia v. Trump

The District of Columbia filed a lawsuit challenging the federal government's attempt to take over the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The complaint specifically addresses Executive Order 14333, “Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia,” and the order issued by Attorney General Bondi on August 14 rescinding certain policies regarding the MPD and placing it under the command of DEA Administrator Terry Cole.

The lawsuit alleges that the federal government's actions exceed its authority under Section 740 of the Home Rule Act of 1973, as well as the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution. The complaint requests a declaration that the federal defendants' actions are unconstitutional and enjoining those actions, including barring Defendants from "issuing any future orders or directives or taking any other action that attempts to place MPD under the control of anyone other than the Mayor and the Chief of Police, otherwise assert operational control over MPD, or otherwise attempt to direct local law enforcement activities." District of Columbia v. Trump, No. 1:25-cv-02678 (D.D.C.).

**Link to case here. Our litigation entries generally report only the initial complaint and any major substantive filings or decisions. For additional information, CourtListener provides access to PACER and all available pleadings. Other sites that track litigation in more detail or organize cases by topic include Civil Rights Clearinghouse, Justice Action Center, National Immigration Litigation Alliance, and Just Security**