Trump Threatens Federal Takeover of D.C. Police Over ICE Cooperation

President Donald Trump has threatened to federalize the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department again if it does not cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. Trump previously took control of the D.C. police for 30 days in August, deploying National Guard troops and federal law enforcement, which he credited for a significant drop in crime and a revitalization of the city. However, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, has resisted having the police force assist with immigration enforcement, stating that immigration enforcement is not part of the Metropolitan Police Department's duties and will not be after the emergency period ended. Bowser has ordered cooperation with federal agencies but explicitly excluded ICE from the directive, citing concerns about the impact on residents and allegations of racial profiling by ICE. Trump warned that non-cooperation with ICE would cause crime to surge again and pledged to declare a national emergency and federalize the police if necessary. The standoff highlights ongoing tensions between the President and the District's local government over control of policing in the U.S. capital.