Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith issued an executive order Thursday permitting officers conducting traffic stops to notify federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents about undocumented immigrants they encounter, NBC Washington reported.
The move reverses the department’s previous policy, enabling officers to report immigrants who have not been detained or charged with a crime to ICE for potential arrest and deportation.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has maintained that the city is not a sanctuary jurisdiction, noting that law enforcement has cooperated with ICE in the past. The city, however, enforces several pro-immigration policies, including allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections and limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
On Monday, President Trump federalized the D.C. police department and deployed 800 National Guard troops as part of a broader effort to crack down on crime in the district. His actions included mobilizing federal law enforcement officers, including ICE agents, to patrol Washington streets alongside Metropolitan Police officers.
