Washington, D.C., officials are taking the Trump administration to court over what they call an unlawful federal seizure of the city’s police force, a move that’s now escalated into a showdown over immigration enforcement and the city’s limited right to self-government.
On Thursday night, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered sweeping changes to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), claiming to have scrapped the district’s immigration policies and replaced Police Chief Pamela A. Smith’s authority with that of Drug Enforcement Administration chief Terry Cole, whom she named “emergency police commissioner.”
Under Bondi’s order, MPD must now purportedly seek Cole’s approval before issuing directives. D.C. police can also arrest people solely for federal immigration warrants and share information freely with federal authorities.
Hours later, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and Bondi. Schwalb called Trump’s moves a serious violation of the Home Rule Act, the 1973 law granting D.C. an elected local government.
“By declaring a hostile takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its limited, temporary authority under the Home Rule Act, infringing on the District’s right to self-governance and putting the safety of DC residents and visitors at risk,” Schwalb said in a statement. “The Administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”
In his complaint, the D.C. attorney general also argued that Bondi’s order would be confusing and dangerous for Washington police.
“Most critically, the order threatens to upend the command structure of MPD and wreak operational havoc within the department, endangering the safety of the public and law enforcement officers alike,” he wrote. “There is no greater risk to public safety in a large, professional law enforcement organization like MPD than to not know who is in command.”
Start your day with essential news from Salon.
Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.
Mayor Muriel Bowser backed Schwalb’s stance, telling Smith to remain in her role and calling Bondi’s order a blatant overreach. There is no law that would require D.C. law enforcement to relinquish their “personnel authority to a federal official,” she said.
Schwalb also told the police chief that Bondi’s order was unlawful and advised that she was not required to comply.
The legal fight comes as the federal takeover of MPD, triggered Monday by Trump’s declaration of an emergency. Crime rates in the nation’s capital have been steadily decreasing over the last two years, and are now at their lowest in decades. Nevertheless, the administration has framed its show of foruce as a crackdown on lawlessness and “sanctuary city” policies.