Attorney General Pam Bondi has taken decisive action to dismantle sanctuary policies in Washington, D.C., an initiative that follows President Donald Trump’s declaration of a crime emergency in the capital. On Thursday, Bondi issued an order removing Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith and appointing Terry Cole, the Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator, as the city’s emergency police commissioner. This move places control of local policing directly under Cole’s authority.
Bondi’s order strips away critical protections that had previously shielded illegal immigrants from law enforcement. In her directive, she annulled three orders that restricted police collaboration with immigration officials. One significant rescindment allows officers to arrest individuals solely based on federal immigration warrants. Bondi emphasized the need for safety, stating, “Residents of the District of Columbia… have a right to feel safe and to be free from the scourge of violent crime.”
Despite Bondi’s strong measures, her actions have sparked backlash from city officials. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb labeled Cole’s appointment unlawful, arguing it undermines the city’s self-governance. Schwalb expressed concern over what he describes as a hostile takeover of the police department, claiming that such a move infringes upon the rights of the city’s residents. He stated, “This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”
Mayor Muriel Bowser has also publicly challenged Bondi’s directive, insisting that city officials have complied with legal requirements during a presidential emergency. In a post on social media, she reinforced that the city has acted lawfully and asserted the importance of local control over policing.
The conflict between state and local authorities is likely to escalate into legal battles, with Schwalb already preparing to file a lawsuit to contest the new order. The outcome could shape the landscape of law enforcement and immigration policy in the nation’s capital for years to come.
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