Attorney General Pam Bondi’s latest directive strengthens federal takeover, directly challenging the city’s sanctuary policies amid ongoing legal battle.
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a new order Friday evening demanding that the District of Columbia’s police force fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities, a move that escalates the Trump administration’s efforts to take control of the city’s law enforcement.
The directive explicitly requires the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to work “fully and completely” with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal immigration agencies, directly confronting the city’s long-standing sanctuary policies.
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This order follows an earlier directive on Thursday in which Bondi placed Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administrator Terry Cole in charge of the MPD and rescinded policies that restricted cooperation with ICE. D.C. officials, including Mayor Muriel Bowser and Democratic Attorney General Brian Schwalb, quickly pushed back. Schwalb sent a letter to MPD Chief Pamela Smith, advising her to disregard the order and calling it “unlawful.”
“It is my opinion that the Bondi order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it,” Schwalb’s letter stated. “Having been duly appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council, you are the lawfully appointed Chief of Police of the District of Columbia. Therefore, members of MPD must continue to follow your orders and not the orders of any official not appointed by the Mayor.”
The updated order from Bondi does not reinstall Cole as head of the MPD but instead issues a broader mandate for local police participation in immigration enforcement. In a public statement, Department of Justice spokesperson Chad Gilmartin said the new order is “even STRONGER than yesterday’s order because instead of requiring DC to rescind just one MDP order, [Bondi] has now REQUIRED full cooperation with federal immigration authorities.” Gilmartin added, “We are NOT backing down.”
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The attorney general’s latest action comes as the Trump administration has deployed hundreds of National Guard members and other federal law enforcement officials to the nation’s capital to address the crime rate. According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, these efforts are already yielding results. A joint operation on Wednesday involving the MPD and federal officers led to 45 arrests, including 29 illegal migrants.
Despite the administration’s claims of success, Mayor Bowser and Attorney General Schwalb have adamantly opposed the federal intervention. Schwalb filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging the federal takeover of the MPD, accusing the administration of acting unlawfully and threatening D.C.’s “home rule” status.
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In her announcement about the new anti-sanctuary order, Bondi took a direct jab at Schwalb. “Unfortunately, the DC Attorney General continues to oppose our efforts to improve public safety in Washington, DC,” Bondi said. “It is important to note that this same DC Attorney General is responsible for failing to enforce consequences for dangerous juvenile offenders.”
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