In the heart of the nation’s capital, a political and legal storm has erupted over President Donald Trump’s unprecedented moves to assert federal control over Washington, D.C.’s police and to intensify cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The controversy has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights advocates, city leaders, and residents, and is sending ripples of concern to other cities across the United States.
On August 17, 2025, the ACLU of the District of Columbia sounded the alarm over two major developments: a new order from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) instructing officers to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Trump’s direct takeover of the city’s police force. Monica Hopkins, executive director of the ACLU-D.C., minced no words, declaring, “Immigration enforcement is not the role of local police—and when law enforcement aligns itself with ICE, it fosters fear among D.C. residents, regardless of citizenship status. Our police should serve the people of D.C., not ICE’s deportation machine,” as reported by the Davis Vanguard.
Hopkins and other critics argue that local police cooperation with ICE undermines community trust, a key ingredient for effective policing. The ACLU points to numerous federal court rulings against ICE and local law enforcement for unconstitutional detentions based on ICE detainers. Hopkins warned, “By choosing to participate in immigration enforcement, the Metropolitan Police Department risks losing the trust they need to keep communities safe.” The organization urged residents to know their rights, such as asking, “Am I free to leave?” and “Am I under arrest?” and to assert their right to remain silent if arrested.
The backdrop to these changes is a city under an extraordinary federal presence. President Trump declared a “public safety emergency” on August 11, 2025, claiming that Washington was in the grip of “complete and total lawlessness.” To back up his assertion, he deployed roughly 800 National Guard troops to the city, and soon after, three Republican-led states—West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio—announced they would send additional troops, totaling more than 600 personnel, according to BBC News. Federal law enforcement agents have also been patrolling the city’s busiest areas, adding to the sense of occupation.
This show of force has not gone unchallenged. Hundreds of D.C. residents took to the streets in protest, marching through Dupont Circle and chanting “Free DC!” The city’s elected officials, led by Mayor Muriel Bowser, have pushed back against Trump’s depiction of the city as crime-ridden. Bowser acknowledged a spike in crime in 2023, but pointed to MPD data showing a 32% drop in homicides between 2023 and 2024, and a 26% decrease in violent crime so far in 2025 compared to the previous year. Robberies are down 28%, according to BBC Verify. “Trump’s claims about rampant crime in the city simply don’t align with the facts,” Bowser stated.
Despite these statistics, Trump’s administration pressed ahead, initially attempting to take direct command of the MPD using the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. Legal challenges quickly followed, and while the administration rescinded the order after city officials took them to court, Judge Ana Reyes ruled that Mayor Bowser was still required to follow White House directives. The legal wrangling continues, with D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb formally challenging the takeover in court.
The ACLU-D.C. has been especially vocal in its opposition, calling Trump’s actions “a brazen abuse of power that flies in the face of the powers granted by the D.C. Home Rule Act and the democratic principles it represents.” Hopkins explained, “The law permits the president to use the ‘services’ of D.C.’s police in emergencies for federal purposes, but it does not authorize the federal government to take over all local law enforcement functions, handpick a federal chief, rewrite local policies, or strip the District’s residents of control over their own law enforcement.” She accused Trump of consolidating power and creating fear, especially among Black, Brown, and unhoused residents.
For many in Washington, the controversy has reignited the long-standing debate over D.C. statehood. With more than 700,000 residents—more than Vermont or Wyoming—D.C. remains without full democratic rights. Residents could not vote for president until 1961, could not elect their own mayor until 1973, and still lack voting representation in Congress. Hopkins told NBC’s Ali Velshi that the city’s disenfranchisement is “sort of comical,” given its population and contributions to the nation. She argued that Trump’s deployment of federal forces and the police takeover underscore the urgency of granting the District full statehood.
The unrest in Washington has also put other cities on high alert. As sand-colored Humvees rolled down D.C. streets, mayors across the country began preparing for the possibility that the Trump administration could target them next. According to The Guardian, Trump has made no secret of his disdain for Democratic-run cities, and his campaign promises included a commitment to “deploying federal assets, including the National Guard, to restore law and order when local law enforcement refuses to act.”
City leaders from across the political spectrum have criticized Trump’s narrative. Bruce Harrell, the mayor of Seattle, stated, “President Trump constantly creates a narrative that cities like Seattle are liberal hellholes and we are lawless, and that is just not the fact.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, “We’re not anti-federal help. We’re anti-federal chaos.” Even Republican mayors have voiced concerns, with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, led by Oklahoma City’s David Holt, insisting that “local control is always best.”
Mayors have begun strategizing with police chiefs and emergency planning departments, readying legal challenges and coordinating with governors in case National Guard troops are deployed. The Pentagon is reportedly preparing to station National Guard troops in Alabama and Arizona for rapid deployment to cities experiencing unrest.
Some city leaders see Trump’s actions as a dangerous escalation. Brett Smiley, mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, warned, “This is not something that we should be used to, and we shouldn’t let this administration break yet another norm or standard in our society, such that a couple years from now, we don’t think twice about when we see troops in our cities.”
Washington, D.C., however, remains uniquely vulnerable. The Home Rule Act of 1973 allows the president to take over its police department during emergencies—a power Trump is the first to use so broadly. Even so, local officials have fought to retain some control, and after negotiations, Trump agreed to keep D.C.’s police chief in place, scaling back the federal takeover.
For now, the city stands as a flashpoint in a broader national debate over the limits of federal power, the sanctity of local control, and the rights of residents in the seat of American democracy. The coming weeks are sure to test the resilience of Washington’s institutions—and the resolve of those who call the city home.
