According to news reports, on the 15th, the Trump administration changed its stance and agreed to allow the director of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington D.C. to continue to head the police department after a court hearing.
Previously, Trump deployed National Guard troops to Washington D.C. under the guise of fighting crime and decided to take over the Washington Metropolitan Police Department by the federal government. Earlier on the 15th, the Trump administration appointed a federal official as the new head of emergency affairs for the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, further strengthening the intervention in the law enforcement department of Washington D.C.
On the same day, Brian Schwalb, the Attorney General of Washington D.C., filed a lawsuit over this matter and sought an emergency restraining order in it. Schwalb claimed that the actions of the Trump administration went far beyond the legal powers of the president.
The lawsuit filed by Schwalb in federal court warned that due to “confusion in command”, the Trump administration’s attempt to take over the police force could lead to “paralysis of the police system”. The complaint pointed out that Trump’s actions with Bondi violated multiple laws – not only did they exceed the legal authority of presidents to intervene in local affairs, but they also unilaterally abolished established policies of local governments.
Schwalb said in a statement that Congress has never granted presidents the power to remove police chiefs or take over the police department in the capital. Schwalb believed that Trump’s act of placing the capital’s police department under the command of the federal government violated the “Columbia District Self-Government Act”. The law only grants limited temporary authority to presidents during emergencies, and the federal government has no right to replace the director of the capital’s police department and take over its daily operations.
On the 15th, regarding related controversies, lawyer teams from both the Washington D.C. government and the federal government engaged in a fierce battle for hours in front of Judge Anna Reyes at a federal district court. Reyes, nominated by Biden, pointed out during the trial that while the law may not authorize Trump’s full takeover of D.C.’s police force, it grants presidents broader powers than anticipated by D.C.’s government.
Trump’s acting lawyer Yaakov Roth argued in court that the decision to replace the head of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department was due to D.C.’s immigration policy still limiting some assistance to federal law enforcement agencies. He emphasized that presidents have extensive decision-making power in determining what kind of law enforcement support is necessary for Washington police departments.
It is reported that Judge Reyes is known for her iron-fisted approach and has “called off” Trump’s transgender military ban (later suspended by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia). “Based on my understanding of regulations, presidents can make requests and mayors must cooperate, but presidents have no direct control.”
“Reyes urged both sides to reach a compromise and promised to issue a temporary ban if negotiations failed, preventing the federal government from appointing a new head of the police department. The BBC reported that the government of Washington, D.C., and the federal government are expected to continue discussing immigration policy next week.
After the hearing, the Department of Justice agreed to reverse the decision of making the director of the Drug Enforcement Administration as the emergency response leader and submitted a new directive to adjust its role as a coordinator between the federal government and the D.C. police. Brian Schwalb said, “The core controversy about the command of the Washington D.C. police has been resolved, which is in line with our expectations.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a new memorandum instructing the Washington D.C. police to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement actions, and not to refuse cooperation on the basis of any local laws.
Some analysts believe that this order means that the Trump administration has made a strategic concession under the pressure of federal judges. However, Bondi also sent a clear signal that even if the current laws in Washington D.C. explicitly restrict police cooperation with immigration departments, the federal government will still exert strong pressure on the authorities in Washington D.C. to cooperate with federal law enforcement agencies to crack down on illegal immigrants.