On the bustling streets of Washington, D.C., a new kind of tension has taken hold among the city’s food delivery drivers. Since August 11, 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been joining D.C. police officers on moped traffic stops, specifically targeting delivery drivers—most of whom hail from Central and South America—to check their immigration status and, in many cases, detain those found to be undocumented. This dramatic shift is one of the most visible consequences of President Donald Trump’s decision to federalize the city’s police force and deploy the National Guard in an effort to crack down on crime.
According to The Washington Post, the practice has upended daily life for hundreds of gig workers who rely on mopeds to deliver meals for companies like DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub. Videos and photos reviewed by the newspaper show ICE officers—identifiable by their uniforms—present at multiple law enforcement stops since Trump’s August 11 announcement. At least 11 of these documented stops involved delivery drivers, and ICE was present at each one. The chilling effect has been immediate and profound: once-crowded pickup spots now stand empty, and many drivers have either left the city, switched to less conspicuous bikes, or stopped working altogether.
“You don’t want to go outside,” said Yonatan Colmenarez, an asylum seeker from Venezuela who has worked as a delivery driver in D.C. for two years. “It gives you a kind of emotional damage; you’re not sure who they might be.” Colmenarez told The Washington Post he has ventured out only twice since the federalization was announced. For drivers like him, the risk of a routine traffic stop turning into an immigration arrest has become a daily fear.
Before this new partnership between ICE and the D.C. police, enforcement of moped laws—prompted by a surge in use by delivery workers and complaints about speeding—typically ended with warnings or citations. But now, as ICE agents accompany officers on patrol, more drivers are being detained and placed in immigration proceedings. The city’s advocacy groups, attorneys, and witnesses have voiced concern that the Trump administration is using the police takeover to ramp up immigration enforcement, particularly against delivery drivers who work in public spaces and industries known to employ large numbers of immigrants.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the administration’s priorities clear in a news conference on August 19. “If federal law enforcement, with the help of the Metropolitan Police Department, come across illegal aliens, of course we are going to abide by this administration’s policy of law and order,” she said. “We are going to remove illegal criminals from our nation’s capital.” Leavitt linked the crackdown directly to public safety, stating the goal was “to make D.C. safe and beautiful and to remove public safety threats and violent criminals from our streets.”
Yet, the data paints a more nuanced picture. Violent crime in D.C. has actually been declining since 2023. A recent Washington Post-Schar School poll found that only 31 percent of residents now consider crime to be an “extremely” or “very” serious problem, down from 65 percent in the spring. Still, the administration’s focus on immigration enforcement has left many in the city’s immigrant community feeling targeted and vulnerable.
Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, a Democrat, has responded to the growing outcry by stating the city is “exploring any additional guidance that our officers need.” At a press conference on August 20, Bowser pointed to ongoing litigation over an order issued by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, which seeks to compel the D.C. police to “fully cooperate” with federal immigration enforcement. The city has sued to block the order, but a federal judge recently indicated she is likely to allow Bondi’s directive to stand.
Among the most high-profile cases is that of Christian Carías Torres, a Venezuelan national who was tackled and detained by federal officers in downtown D.C. on August 19. The incident, witnessed and filmed by a Washington Post reporter, quickly went viral on social media. According to a statement from Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, ICE placed Carías Torres into removal proceedings, calling him a “suspected gang member”—an allegation the administration has used repeatedly but has not substantiated with evidence.
Another case drawing attention is that of Gabriel Ravelo Torrealba, a 22-year-old Venezuelan who entered the U.S. through the CBP One app in December 2023. After recovering from a serious hit-and-run accident last year, Ravelo returned to work delivering food on his moped. On August 19, he was stopped by D.C. police, detained, and later transferred to a detention center in Virginia. His mother, Lorenza Torrealba Olivo, recounted her son’s determination to persevere despite setbacks: “I don’t want to be a loser. I want to make you proud.” ICE did not respond to requests for comment on his case.
Jose Peña, a Salvadoran man who had only recently started delivering for DoorDash after losing his construction job, was also swept up in the enforcement push. On August 16, Peña was stopped near Fort Totten for an issue with his motorcycle plates. Unable to provide the necessary documentation, he was arrested and quickly turned over to ICE. His brother Alexander described the family’s distress: “My brother has gone missing. There’s no other word for it. We don’t know if he’s been kidnapped, we don’t know if he’s been in an accident, we don’t know if he’s alive. At this time, we know nothing from him.” It was only after a missing-persons report was filed that the family learned Peña was in ICE custody.
For many delivery drivers, the gig economy had offered a rare opportunity to make a living despite the obstacles posed by immigration status. Food delivery apps typically require only a Social Security number and a valid driver’s license to register, and more than 15 states—including D.C.—allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. But with the Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement posture, even these modest opportunities are now fraught with risk.
Companies like DoorDash and Uber maintain that their workers must complete background checks and meet other requirements, but the reality is that many immigrants, including those without work authorization, have found ways to participate in the gig economy. In some cases, applicants register as bikers or use other workarounds to circumvent verification hurdles. Legal experts note that while companies are barred from knowingly contracting with unauthorized workers, enforcement of these rules is inconsistent.
Advocates and legal aid organizations have sounded the alarm about the broader implications of the federal police takeover. Nithya Nathan-Pineau, an attorney at the Immigration Resource Legal Center, observed that delivery drivers are “especially easy targets for immigration enforcement” because they work in public spaces and are highly visible. The combination of federal and local law enforcement, she warned, risks turning routine traffic stops into immigration raids—leaving entire communities in fear and uncertainty.
The debate over the Trump administration’s approach to crime and immigration enforcement in D.C. is far from settled. While some residents support the crackdown as a necessary step to restore public order, others argue it is a heavy-handed tactic that unfairly targets vulnerable workers and undermines trust in law enforcement. As the legal battles play out and the city’s streets grow quieter, the fate of D.C.’s delivery drivers hangs in the balance—a stark reminder of the human cost of policy decisions made at the highest levels of government.