For many of us, the continued D.C. police collaboration with ICE, Homeland Security, and other federal agencies on immigration enforcement remains top of mind, even as news coverage has subsided. 

Mayor Bowser and her administration have escalated the harm occurring in our neighborhoods from this federal takeover. People are afraid and angry and deserve straight answers about MPD’s collaboration with ICE. 

Yesterday, the Council’s Judiciary Committee held a hearing at which dozens of residents again testified about the frightening and devasting tactics employed by those federal agencies. They described numerous incidents of Metropolitan Police Department officer presence and assistance to those agencies, in violation of the spirit and the letter of D.C.’s Sanctuary Values Act. 

In October, I held a hearing on possible human rights violations resulting from federal intrusion in D.C., with dozens of witnesses – but nobody from the Executive branch showed up.  

What was different yesterday is that because the Judiciary Committee has oversight of MPD, they were able to demand the presence of MPD leaders and the Deputy of Mayor for Public Safety. Police Chief Pamela Smith was expected to attend, but at the last minute a replacement was sent instead. 

Even with their presence, we again witnessed a complete lack of transparency from the Bowser administration about MPD’s collaboration with ICE, whose actions are upending families, and making us all less safe, violating D.C. law under the Executive’s direction.  

Despite repeated questioning from me, Council Chairman Mendelson and others, Executive branch officials continued to sidestep specific questions about MPD collaboration.  

• During the hearing, I asked Deputy Mayor Lindsay Appiah directly: “Is MPD cooperating with ICE—yes or no?” Her response: “No. We’re acting in accordance with the Mayor’s order. ICE was not one of the entities that’s listed.” This is misleading because ICE is considered a federal agency under Section 740 of the Home Rule Act, which is cited in the Mayor’s Sept. 2 Order.  

• The Deputy Mayor also said that on Sept. 11, MPD reverted to its pre-emergency policy. This is not true – the Mayoral Order is still in effect and states that MPD will provide cooperation “on a continuing basis.” 

• I asked Deputy Mayor Appiah if MPD is allowed to physically stand beside federal agents conducting immigration raids. Her response: “MPD is not doing immigration enforcement,” refusing, again, to answer the question and to be transparent with residents. 

It’s clear the Mayor and her administration will continue to deny residents the truth about the full picture of MPD’s cooperation and block legislative oversight by the Council. When they say “we are not coordinating with ICE,” what they really mean is, we’re not calling it coordination with ICE. 

Meanwhile, yesterday, a federal court confirmed what we already know: federal law enforcement has been carrying out unlawful, warrantless civil immigration arrests. The judge described it as “arrest first, ask questions later.” 

Also yesterday, the Washington Post reported that 80 percent of those arrested by the feds have no criminal record. This isn’t and has never been about “targeting violent crime.” 

The Mayor and MPD leaders refuse to acknowledge the extent of what they have allowed under their watch, to acknowledge what is plain as day. 

Next week I’ll publish a report from our human rights roundtable with findings and recommendations, and I’ll introduce legislation to address D.C. government’s inadequate response, including clarifying language about the ways in which MPD officers are not allowed to cooperate with immigration enforcement.  

Because if the Executive says everything MPD is doing is “within the law” (which they did yesterday), and they believe that law allows them to stand alongside masked, unidentified agents while racially profiling and arresting our neighbors, then we will need to amend the law and make perfectly clear for them what already is clear to everyone else. 

You can read and watch my full remarks at yesterday’s hearing.