US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the next step in nationwide immigration control would be to identify undocumented immigrants during traffic stops, UNN reports with reference to Axios.
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The proposal came after Trump temporarily took control of the Washington, D.C. police department and ordered the National Guard and FBI to assist law enforcement, despite the city's crime rate being at a 30-year low.
On Thursday, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith issued an order allowing police officers conducting traffic stops to report encounters with undocumented immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
"This is a great step if they do it," Trump said Thursday, speaking in the Oval Office. "Yes, I think this will happen across the country. We want to stop crime."
Earlier this week, Trump proposed that law enforcement conduct similar raids in Chicago, Oakland, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and New York, where violent crime has decreased.
The District of Columbia has long had pro-immigrant policies, including allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections and limiting cooperation with federal immigration agencies.
When asked by reporters, Trump did not say whether his administration pressured Smith to change D.C. policy.
The Immigration Justice Center advises undocumented immigrants stopped on the road not to discuss immigration or citizenship issues with police, immigration agents, or other officials.