Nearly 40 Organizations Demand the Executive Order be Rescinded
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(Washington)— DC Police Chief Pamela Smith’s decision via Executive Order to allow Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agencies violates the Sanctuary Values Amendment Act of 2020. The Sanctuary Values Amendment was overwhelmingly passed by the DC Council to restrict the city’s ability to hold people for ICE unless there is a warrant or judicial order.
The Executive Order substantially expands the authority for DC police to assist federal immigration enforcement, including ICE. Under this order, if a person is stopped during a traffic stop, police can send federal immigration enforcement agencies that person’s information and transport them on behalf of federal agencies. The Executive Order also allows police to transport anyone detained by federal immigration enforcement agencies. This is a transparent effort to establish a loophole to the Sanctuary Values Act and allow DC police to use traffic checkpoints to engage in immigration enforcement. While the order still prohibits police from using any database to inquire about a person’s immigration status and keeps them from arresting anyone based solely on federal immigration warrants or detainers, the order is a steep overreach of federal law enforcement that targets Black and Brown communities.
The order went into effect today, August, 14, 2025. No end date was specified.
This Executive Order is a betrayal of the city’s residents, particularly its Black and Brown communities. It flies in the face of the Sanctuary Values Amendment Act of 2020 which specifically prohibits any cooperation with federal immigration agencies. We demand that Mayor Bowser and MPD Chief Pamela Smith rescind this order immediately and follow the laws of the District. As organizations working directly with community members at the local level in the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia), we call on elected leaders through DC to step up, speak out and take action to oppose this threat to the safety of DC residents.
Organizations
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid
DC Ward 1 Mutual Aid
Stop Police Terror Project DC
Prince George’s County Immigrant Rights Collective
Reframe Health and Justice Consulting
Restaurant Opportunities Center DC
Montgomery County Immigrant Rights Collective
The Festival Center
Colectivo de Familias Migrantes
Ayuda
Legal Aid DC
Jews United For Justice
DC Jobs with Justice
ICE Out of Arlington Coalition
National Immigration Project
DC Action
Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America
Muslims for Just Futures
Remora House
Anakbayan DC
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
Sunrise Movement DC
Black Lives Matter DC
Diaspora Pa’Lante Collective
Harriet’s Wildest Dreams
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689
UNITE HERE Local 23
UNITE HERE Local 25
Free DC
National Domestic Workers Alliance DMV
Free Them All Virginia
La ColectiVA
Congregation Action Network
Showing Up for Racial Justice Northern Virginia
Palestinian Youth Movement DMV
International Mayan League
Dream Defenders