Donald Trump has threatened to declare a national emergency and again take control of Washington DC's police department if the city refuses to cooperate with his plans for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
The threat comes days after a 30-day federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) expired. Trump ordered the takeover and deployed National Guard troops and federal agents in response to what he described as an “out of control” crime wave, despite violent crime rates in the capital being at 30-year lows.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, issued an executive order creating an “emergency operations centre” that coordinates with several federal law enforcement agencies but does not include Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She confirmed that MPD would no longer assist with immigration arrests, stating: “Immigration enforcement is not what the MPD does.”
Trump responded on Truth Social, accusing Bowser of presiding over a “violent criminal takeover” and warning that if he allowed non-cooperation, “CRIME would come roaring back”. He added: “I’ll call a National Emergency, and Federalize, if necessary!!!”
The earlier takeover, the first use of a clause in Washington DC’s Home Rule Act, resulted in more than 2,300 arrests, of which about 40 per cent were immigration-related, according to an Associated Press analysis. Congress declined to vote on extending the emergency.
