Washington (AP) – President Donald Trump He threatened again on Monday Federalizes Washington, DC policewhat he proposed could come in response to the mayor’s refusal to cooperate with immigration enforcement.
Trump’s emergency order, which took over local police, expired last week. A few hours before that passed, mayor Muriel Bowser The city said it would not cooperate with immigration, customs or enforcement in its ongoing activities in the country’s capital. Previously, she said the city would work with other federal agencies even after the emergency order expires.
In a social media post early Monday, Trump said D.C.’s law enforcement intervention has improved crime in the city, but claims the claims indicate that crime has already declined in Washington before the law enforcement surge began.
Trump said that if cooperation on immigration enforcement is stopped, crime could increase.
The mayor’s office declined to comment.
The White House had not said whether Trump would follow his threats. He also did not say whether the president tried to extend it. His previous order This put the city’s police under federal control. order Not updated It was expired on September 11th by Congress.
Bowser Ordered on September 2ndsets a way for local police to continue working with federal law enforcement agencies to continue working in the city. The order listed many federal agencies they expected to work in collaboration with local police forces, such as the MPD, FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency and Secret Service. The absence was ice.
Speaking at a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 10th, the mayor said, “immigration enforcement is not something that the MPD does,” referring to the local police station. She added that once the emergency order is over, “it’s not something that MPD will do in the future.”
Data analyzed by Associated Press During the emergency, more than 40% of arrests were shown to be immigrant-related, emphasizing that the Trump administration has continued to pursue a tough immigration policy as it attempted to combat crime in the country’s capital.
Federal law enforcement and National Guard units from DC and seven states have continued operations within the city.
Trump’s threat comes on the same day the House Rules Committee is taking up some DC-related bills. This can reduce the age at which a juvenile is tested from 16 to 14 for certain serious offences, and limit the district’s authority over its judgment law and role in judge choice.
Last week, the House Committee on Surveillance and Government Reform held a similar hearing.
The district is granted autonomy through a limited housing regulations agreement passed in 1973, but federal political leaders maintain critical control over local operations, including approval of budgets and laws passed by the DC Council.
