Resolution: Reaffirming the District of Columbia’s Sanctuary City Status
RESOLUTION: Reaffirming the District of Columbia’s Sanctuary City Status
Adopted:
Oct. 16, 2025, Ward One Democratic Committee
Author:
Michelle Chappell, Ward One Democratic Committee Member, Precinct 43
RESOLUTION
Reaffirming the District of Columbia’s Sanctuary City Status
Adopted Oct. 16, 2025
WHEREAS, the Sanctuary Values Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Law 23-282) was passed unanimously by the DC Council and signed by Mayor Muriel Bowser, limiting the District government from holding an individual on behalf of a federal immigration agency, inquiring about the immigration status of an individual in custody, or providing space for a member of a federal immigration agency to question a person in the District’s custody about their immigration status absent a judicial warrant or order;
WHEREAS, Mayor Bowser has referred to DC as a “proud sanctuary city” with “immigrant communities that strengthen the District’s diversity and prosperity”;
WHEREAS, immigrants and sanctuary jurisdictions across the country have been central targets of the Republican Party and the Trump administration;
WHEREAS, the Border Act of 2024 (S. 4361), a bipartisan immigration reform bill in the 118th Congress, was torpedoed by Donald Trump because its passage may have harmed his political aspirations;
WHEREAS, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21), passed by the 119th Congress, provided over $170 billion dollars in additional funding for federal immigration enforcement;
WHEREAS, Ward 1 has a large and proud immigrant population which contributes to the vibrancy and strength of our community;
WHEREAS, on August 11, 2025, President Trump declared a “crime emergency” in D.C., falsely claiming a rise in violent crime in the city;
WHEREAS, Attorney General Pam Bondi attempted to usurp the Chief of Police’s authority over her department by issuing a subsequently retracted General Order in which, in part, the federal government compelled the MPD to depart from past policy and actively assist federal immigration enforcement officers in detaining immigrants;
WHEREAS, “one of the primary effects of Trump’s surge and militarization of law enforcement in DC has been racial profiling”;
WHEREAS, ICE “weaponized” routine traffic enforcement by MPD to target food delivery drivers for immigration enforcement;
WHEREAS, four DC area residents and CASA have sued the Department of Homeland Security over ICE enforcement actions in DC, alleging that officers are targeting people for their ethnicity and making arrests without probable cause;
WHEREAS, residents of Ward 1, particularly in the Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods, have also experienced racial targeting and unwarranted arrests;
WHEREAS, Mayor Bowser announced in early September that “Immigration enforcement is not what the MPD does. And with the end of the emergency, it won’t be what MPD does in the future”;
WHEREAS, under the terms of Section 740 of the Home Rule Act, the “crime emergency” expired on September 10, 2025;
WHEREAS, DC residents, including Ward 1 residents, continue to experience traffic stops at which federal law enforcement, including ICE agents, accompany MPD;
WHEREAS, Mayor’s Order 2025-090, Creation of the Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center, formalized in writing the ongoing relationship between local and federal law enforcement;
WHEREAS, Justice Brett Kavanaugh issued a concurrence in Noem v. Perdomo in which he argued that reasonable suspicion for an immigration arrest can be based on the “totality of circumstances” such as the language spoken, accent used, jobs worked, or appearance of an individual, completely disregarding legal precedent and hinting at a new attempt to erode civil rights through the Supreme Court;
WHEREAS, Mayor Bowser denied continuing cooperation between MPD and ICE on September 30, 2025, stating “I am aware of what’s been happening on the ground and ICE is not patrolling with MPD”;
WHEREAS, on the following day, October 1, 2025, Mayor Bowser reversed her statement and acknowledged that MPD has continued to cooperate and carry out joint enforcement actions with ICE officers employed by Homeland Security;
WHEREAS, Marcos Charles, ICE Acting Executive Associate Director in charge of Enforcement and Removal Operations, has stated, “We’re going to continue our operations in the D.C. metro area”; and
WHEREAS, the DC Council Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety has not conducted public oversight of MPD collaboration with ICE and other federal immigration enforcement agencies;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Ward One Democrats stands with immigrants and with all DC area residents targeted by federal law enforcement due to their appearance, skin color, language, accent, occupation, or mode of transportation;
RESOLVED, That the Ward One Democrats demands that the DC government leaders stand united in support for our immigrant neighbors by defending and supporting locally- determined laws and policies;
RESOLVED, That the Ward One Democrats calls to end any continued unlawful cooperation of MPD with ICE and other federal immigration enforcement agents and reminds MPD of the erosion of community trust in local law enforcement due to any association with ICE;
RESOLVED, That the Ward One Democrats condemns the actions of ICE in the District and in Ward 1 as directed by the Trump administration and enabled by Congressional Republicans;
RESOLVED, That the Ward One Democrats condemns the use of face coverings, plainclothes, and unmarked vehicles by ICE to obscure their identities and incite fear and intimidation in our communities;
RESOLVED, That the Ward One Democrats encourages community members to safely and lawfully film MPD cooperation with ICE activity and upload recordings to filmthepolicedc.org;
RESOLVED, That the Ward One Democrats demands oversight by the DC Council Judiciary and Public Safety Committee into the continued cooperation of DC MPD with ICE and the resulting civil rights violations of DC residents and community members;
RESOLVED, That the Ward One Democrats demands the DC Council use its oversight and legislative authority and the Mayor exert executive authority to ensure that the constitutional rights of DC residents are being upheld;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Chair of the Ward One Democrats or the Chair’s designee be authorized to transmit, testify to, publicize, and otherwise carry out this resolution.
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AUTHOR Michelle Chappell, Member, Precinct 43
ADOPTED October 16, 2025, Ward One Democratic Committee
