President Trump threatened to call a national emergency early Monday after Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said she expects local police to stop cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts now that the president’s 30-day emergency authority has expired.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump lashed out at Bowser, saying she buckled under pressure by her fellow Democrats. Trump had previously praised her for cooperating with the federal government’s enforcement efforts in D.C. when she touted the crime drop after Trump deployed troops.
“It has been a beautiful thing to watch but, now, under pressure from the Radical Left Democrats, Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has presided over this violent criminal takeover of our Capital for years, has informed the Federal Government that the Metropolitan Police Department will no longer cooperate with ICE in removing and relocating dangerous illegal aliens,” Trump wrote in his post.
“If I allowed this to happen, CRIME would come roaring back. To the people and businesses of Washington, D.C., DON’T WORRY, I AM WITH YOU, AND WON’T ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN,” Trump continued.
“I’ll call a National Emergency, and Federalize, if necessary!!!”
Congress did not vote to extend the president’s 30-day emergency authority over the city’s police force, which expired last week. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he thought it was “not necessary,” noting Congress had not received a request to act and that the city has been cooperative.
Bowser’s executive order authorized coordination between local police and federal forces. The Army also extended authorization of National Guard troops in the city through Nov. 30.
Bowser said last week that the executive order requires the return to “the preemergency status quo.” Asked whether that means the Metropolitan Police Department will stop cooperating by transporting ICE detainees, Bowser said, “That certainly would be my expectation.”
“Immigration enforcement is not what MPD does. And with the end of the emergency, it won’t be what MPD does in the future,” she added.
The Hill has reached out to Bowser’s office for further comment.
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