White House officials and Washington lawyers have agreed to scale back the Trump administration's takeover of the city's police force. Under the agreement, announced early Friday evening, the US capital's Metropolitan Police Department will remain under the control of its chief, Pamela Smith, rather than Terry Cole, chief administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), UNN reports with reference to The Guardian.
Details
A revised directive issued by Attorney General Pam Bondi late Friday refers to Cole as her "appointee" for the purpose of instructing the Mayor of the District of Columbia "to provide such services to the Metropolitan Police Department as the Attorney General deems necessary and appropriate."
These services, according to Bondi's two-page order, will include federal immigration enforcement assistance, which contradicts the District of Columbia's "sanctuary city" policy that limits the Metropolitan Police Department's actions on immigration.
Friday's agreement will also allow the Trump administration to use Metropolitan Police Department officers for federal purposes in emergencies.
This came after Washington, D.C., on Friday sought an emergency restraining order against Donald Trump's takeover of its police department, calling it a "hostile takeover" of law enforcement in the nation's capital. U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes made it clear that she would issue a temporary restraining order to scale back the Trump White House's takeover of the D.C. Metropolitan Police if the administration did not change the arrangement by Friday evening.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed the lawsuit Friday morning, hours after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an order late Thursday for the federal government to appoint a new police chief in the city's Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Schwalb argues that the U.S. President and his administration are exceeding legitimate federal authority over the nation's capital, and he wants the judge to rule that control of the police remains in the district's hands. The Justice Department and the White House have not commented on the situation.
By announcing a hostile takeover of the MPD, the administration is abusing its limited, temporary authority under the Self-Government Act
The Trump administration appointed Cole as "Emergency Police Commissioner" in Washington, D.C. - a move that further tightened federal control over the city - but local leaders immediately challenged the decision, which then went to court.
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National Guard in Washington
U.S. National Guard troops were deployed to the city four days ago, as Donald Trump declared a crime and homelessness crisis amid outrage from opponents.
Bondi appointed Cole to head the Metropolitan Police Department, stating that he would assume the "powers and duties vested in the D.C. Police Chief."
She said that police department personnel "must obtain Commissioner Cole's approval" before issuing any orders. It was not immediately clear what this move left for Smith, who works for Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Bowser immediately responded, stating late Thursday in a social media post: "Regarding the U.S. Attorney General's order, there is no law that transfers the district's personnel authority to a federal official."
Bondi's directive came hours after Smith instructed MPD officers to share information about individuals not in custody, such as those involved in a traffic stop or checkpoint, with federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
But, as a so-called sanctuary city, D.C. police are still not allowed under local law to provide federal immigration agencies with personal information of an undocumented individual.
Addition
U.S. President Donald Trump placed the Washington police department under direct federal control and deployed National Guard troops. This is the first time in history that a president has taken control of a city's police force, citing an emergency after an attack on a former civil servant.