Trump Effect: D.C. Police Break From Sanctuary City Policies, Will Cooperate With ICE
The Trump administration’s pressure campaign against so-called “sanctuary cities” is paying off in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced it would begin cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), breaking from years of defiance under the city’s sanctuary policy. The move comes just weeks into President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of D.C. policing and his sweeping crackdown on violent crime in the capital.
A press release signed by Police Chief Pamela A. Smith laid out the new procedures. Officers will now be permitted to share information about individuals with federal immigration enforcement, including during traffic stops, and may assist with transportation of detained subjects. While the order still restricts arrests based solely on immigration detainers without additional charges, it marks the first major shift away from D.C.’s sanctuary framework in decades.
This change follows a string of Trump administration actions aimed at forcing cities and states to comply with federal immigration law. In April, Trump issued an executive order directing the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to publish a list of noncompliant jurisdictions and strip them of federal funding if they refused to cooperate. In his words, “No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims. They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World.”
Trump’s stance has been consistent. Earlier this year, he said the federal government should “take over” Washington, D.C., in order to restore law and order, pointing to both the crime wave and the city’s unwillingness to support immigration enforcement. “We could save people from getting killed,” Trump said, praising D.C.’s police force but blasting its leadership for refusing to fully utilize them.
The policy reversal is being seen as one of the earliest tangible results of Trump’s direct intervention in the capital. Since federalizing the D.C. police and deploying National Guard units, more than 100 violent offenders have already been arrested. Now, by empowering local police to work directly with ICE, the administration is moving toward shutting down one of the biggest loopholes that allowed criminal aliens to avoid federal custody.
The shift in D.C. could have ripple effects across the nation. Cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco have long clung to sanctuary rules despite repeated threats of losing federal dollars. If Washington — the symbolic heart of sanctuary politics — caves under Trump’s crackdown, it will send a strong message that the president’s zero-tolerance immigration agenda is back in force and gaining ground.