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Activists say the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) continues patrolling and coordinating with immigration enforcement agents despite the end of the federal surge
WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Immigration advocates took to the halls of the Wilson Building demanding that officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) stop patrolling and assisting federal immigration enforcement agencies following the end of President Donald Trump’s federal surge over the District
Last month, Mayor Muriel Bowser outlined how DC would coordinate with federal agencies after the expiration of the president’s crisis. The order includes agencies from the Justice Department, but does not include immigration enforcement agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“The federal emergency declaration has ended, and still we see joint enforcement actions between MPD and ICE and CBP,” Nithya Nathan-Pineau, attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center said during Wednesday’s rally.
Videos shared on social media after the federal surge show MPD officers and federal agents at various locations across the District.
On Sept. 25 DC residents captured a traffic stop outside of a bilingual charter school in Northeast DC. The video shows what appears to be DC Police releasing a man who is then taken into custody by a federal agent. People are heard asking both MPD officers and the federal agents what the reason behind the stop. At one point an MPD officer is heard saying multiple times, “If you have such a problem with us, don’t call 911 next time.”
The incident led to several complaints which are now being investigated by the Office of Police Complaints (OPC) according to MPD.
“MPD officers should treat with respect all individuals,” DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told reporters Monday during his monthly legislative briefing. He says he reached out to both OPC and DC Police Chief Pamela Smith about the incident. “We are told that MPD is not, I’ll say MPD officers is not embedded with ICE. When I say ICE, I am referring more broadly whichever agency it is within Homeland Security. Yet it appears that they were hand in hand. That is one concern. The second is the treatment of the MPD officers.”
Mendelson says he supports council oversight over the collaboration between ICE and MPD which is just one of the demands from protesters.
“The mayor and the council must hold a public hearing to expose MPD’s collaboration with ICE. They must end all joint operations, no more shared traffic stops, no more coordinated street enforcement,” Solomon Ayalew with the African Community Together said during Wednesday’s protest.
During a press event, Bowser acknowledged the community’s concerns about ICE’s tactics, “We see like ICE going after any and everybody.” She also described what she says are lingering federal agencies following the surge, “They’re the problematic agencies. They’re not as familiar with our crime and in case of the Homeland Security agencies, they’re focused on immigration enforcement which is not our focus.”
Activists say the mayor’s acknowledgement is simply not enough, they are demanding clarity about how DC Police is working with the immigration enforcement agencies, but also want an end to further coordination.
The mayor’s offices says they have no further comment on the coordination between MPD and immigration enforcement agencies. An MPD spokesperson acknowledged WUSA9’s request for comment, but the station did not receive a response.
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