Everything coming out of the White House claims the federal takeover is about combatting violent crime in the district, although many of the details surrounding the arrests remain hidden. But as reports of ICE raids and arrests pile up, it’s clear that immigration enforcement is at the heart of their agenda.
The Washington Post’s Teo Armus has been tracking those incidents and spoke to us about what we know about ICE in D.C. and what to expect going forward.
Catch Up Quick
After Trump announced the federal takeover of D.C. police, Chief Pamela Smith issued a memo allowing police to share information with ICE agents about people not in custody. Later, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the order didn’t go far enough and implemented a separate order to commandeer D.C. police for immigration enforcement directly, blurring the line between local policing and immigration enforcement and tanking D.C.’s sanctuary city policy. This order is currently in front of a U.S. District judge.
Regardless of which federal agents are acting, reports and videos of ICE raids and arrests in D.C. are taking off. Indeed, according to the White House, nearly half of arrests since the federal crackdown have been immigration related.
Banners are displayed after being previously taken down by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Mount Pleasant. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
How Are Washingtonians Reacting?
Immigrants that Armus talked to describe a new sense of fear and anger over the increase in arrests. “They're terrified. A lot of people aren't going to work. There's a very visible absence of people in places like Barracks Row and by the Columbia Heights metro, they're just not there,” said Armus. Some also worry that the crackdown might ruin the relationship between immigrants and local authorities, deterring immigrants from reporting crimes, and making the city less safe.
But neighbors are also taking a stand against ICE presence. On Tuesday, a crowd chased officers out of Columbia Heights, shouting "ICE go home." And Mt. Pleasant residents filled Lamont plaza with anti-ICE signs and chalk after their original sign was taken down by agents (and allegedly replaced with a dildo).
Where Are Arrested People Taken?
Typically, when ICE arrests someone they are taken to an ICE field office in Chantilly before being taken to a detention center in Virginia or to a big detention center in Pennsylvania. Arrests should be trackable in the ICE locator; however, some recent arrests have not shown up yet.
How Long Can We Expect This To Last?
Without permission from Congress, Trump's effort to federalize the D.C. police force can only last for 30 days. But on the immigration side of things, the Trump administration can keep the uptick in federal agents for as long as they want. The limiting factor will be resources and number of ICE personnel that can be allocated to D.C.
