Trump threatens to federalize D.C. police again if the department doesn't cooperate with immigration officials

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to federalize the Washington, D.C., police again if the department does not cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

In August, Trump federalized D.C. police and deployed National Guard troops into the district in an emergency 30-day takeover, which expired last week. Trump said in a Truth Social post early Monday that the move led to the city being "one of the safest" in the world. Trump said that D.C. is now "booming" with restaurants, stores and other businesses and there's "virtually NO CRIME."

"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," he wrote.

Trump warned: "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. I’ll call a National Emergency, and Federalize, if necessary!!!"

Bowser, a Democrat, voiced concern during the initial emergency about the administration's immigration-enforcement operations and how residents were "living in fear." As the emergency ended last week, Bowser told reporters that the presidential declaration compelled the mayor to provide police department services for federal purposes, including immigration enforcement.

But, she said, “Immigration enforcement is not what MPD does, and with the end of the emergency, it won’t be what MPD does.”

At the same time, Bowser said that federal police officers would remain in the district to "enhance the public safety mission of MPD."

Bowser’s office and MPD didn’t immediately return requests for comment.