- Mayor Muriel Bowser says police will not cooperate with IS.
- Trump says Crime would come “roaring back” from non-cooperation.
- President has already deployed over 2,000 troops in Washington.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would call a national emergency and Federalise Washington, DC, after Mayor Muriel Bowser said its police would not cooperate with immigration and customs enforcement.
It is about giving information about people living in or into the United States illegally. Trump’s threat increases a step that critics have seen as a federal overreaction, with more than 2,000 troops patrolling the city.
The comments come after thousands of protesters hit the streets this month over Trump’s August implementation of National Guard troops to “restore law, order and public security”, after calling crime in a mess on the capital.
“In just a few weeks. ‘The place’ is absolutely thriving […] For the first time in decades, practically no crime, “Trump said of truth socially.
Bowser’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s post.
Previously, he had set Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and sent federal law enforcement, including members of immigration and customs enforcement, to the police on the streets. It is unclear when their mission ends.
Trump accused “Radical Left Democrats” of pushing Bowser to inform the government of non-cooperation with ICE, adding that if police stopped cooperation with ICE, “crime would come back roaring.”
He added, “To the people and businesses in Washington, DC, don’t worry, I’m with you and don’t allow this to happen. I call a national emergency and federalize if necessary !!!”
Bowser, who has previously praised Trump’s wave of federal law enforcement, which brought a sharp fall in crime, previously signed an order for the city to coordinate with federal law enforcement.
The National Guard acts as a militia corresponding to the governors of the 50 states, except when called for federal service. DC National Guard reports directly to the president.
