Pam Bondi strips authority from DC police chief, nixes capital sanctuary city policies

UPDATE: After a lawsuit against the Trump administration was launched in retaliation to Pam Bondi stripping authority from the DC police chief, the Trump administration said that DC Police Chief Pamela Smith will remain as leader in the role.

Original story follows:  

Attorney General Pam Bondi has stripped power from the Washington, DC police chief and rescinded policies making DC a sanctuary city. This comes as President Donald Trump has federalized the DC Metro Police Department (MPD) and deployed federal law enforcement agencies in the capital city.

The Trump administration posted an order to social media, where the attorney general stated, "Effective immediately, Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrence C. Cole shall serve as MPD's Emergency Police Commissioner for the duration of the emergency declared by the President. Commissioner Cole shall assume all of the powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police." The move strips power from DC Police Chief Pamela Smith.

"Commissioner Cole shall have the authority to issue any general orders, executive orders, or other written directives that apply to Members of the MPD. Existing MPD leadership, including the current Chief of Police, members of the Executive Office of the Chief of Police, Bureau Heads/Executive Staff, and Commanders must receive approval from Commissioner Cole before issuing any further directives to the MPD," Bondi added.

The order from Bondi, titled "Restoring Safety and Security to the District of Columbia," also took aim at orders made by Smith, including sanctuary city policies that have been implemented. Three orders were rescinded, including a recent order from Smith that said MPD could help with "sharing information about persons not in MPD custody" but that officers were prohibited from making "any inquiry through any database solely for the purpose of inquiring about" individual immigration status.

"Members shall not arrest individuals based solely on federal immigration warrants or detainers as long as there is no additional criminal warrant or underlying offense for which the individual is subject to arrest," the previous order from Smith stated.

In Bondi's letter, she wrote, "To the extent that provisions in this order conflict with any existing MPD directives, those directives are hereby rescinded." She also suspended an order from June 2024 that limited general inquiries into immigration status as well as an October 2023 order from Smith that said people could not be arrested for only their immigration status.