WASHINGTON—D.C. lawmakers are trying to put the heat on ICE and take a stand for residents with the introduction of the Safe Community Places and Policing Amendment Act of 2025 by Ward 4 Council Member Janeese Lewis George, who is also running for mayor of Washington.
The bill would ensure that the District’s policies reflect local residents’ values and public safety priorities by prohibiting D.C. police from joining in on immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant or court order. The bill is supported by Council Members Brianne Nadeau, Robert White, Charles Allen, and Zachary Parker.
“The visibility of Metropolitan Police Department officers alongside federal agents during the ongoing federal occupation has led to a pervasive feeling of fear and uncertainty among residents, schools, and service providers,” George said when introducing the bill.
She talked of how many people are scared to pick their kids up from school, go to routine doctor appointments, attend an immigration hearing, or just to do simple chores like going to the grocery store.
According to the report from the Committee on Public Works & Operations, chaired by Nadeau, “The testimonies [by residents] painted a picture of federal law enforcement agents acting with impunity, arresting individuals perceived as immigrant or Latino, terrorizing communities, and violating federal law and local law.”
The committee also heard numerous accounts, the report said, of “masked and unidentifiable armed agents with no visible badges questioning, arresting, and ‘disappearing’ residents into unmarked cars.”
In testimony before the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety on Dec. 4, 2025, numerous residents testified that they have seen federal agents riding along in the backseat of Metropolitan Police Department vehicles. “Residents also testified that MPD officers have been present alongside federal agents carrying out immigration enforcement activities,” documents say.
George said such interactions only add to the growing tension between residents and law enforcement because it shows that if these two institutions—local police and federal immigration agents—work hand and hand with each other, “then who is left to protect our rights?”
Her bill is a response and aims to protect residents’ rights from blatant acts of violence and intimidation. One of the ways the act does that is by prohibiting the federal government’s power to mobilize local police forces without proper documentation, such as an official court order or judicial warrant.
Additionally, it would designate essential service locations such as schools, day cares, health care providers, recreation centers, shelters, and more as “Safe Community Places” and prohibit joint District and federal immigration enforcement operations at those locations unless a judicial warrant or exigent circumstances exist.
The bill also requires the District to train employees on these new protections to ensure consistent implementation across agencies.
The report from the committee on Public Works and Operations also laid out several actions that the Mayor Muriel Bowser could take to build back public trust, such rescinding her “Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center” order, which authorized indefinite local coordination with federal immigration authorities.
It also said the interim D.C. police chief should immediately sunset the previous chief’s order on immigration enforcement, which authorizes MPD officers to share information about people not in their custody, such as during traffic stops, and to provide transportation for federal immigration officers and detained people.
Further, the report told Council it should exhaust all means to require that federal law enforcement officers be subject to the same restrictions imposed on MPD officers, who are not allowed to wear masks or face coverings and must provide identification during interactions with residents.
These would be steps toward regaining residents’ confidence, but it’s only the beginning. After months of being assaulted, stopped, and harassed, activists have said it’s necessary to build off of this bill to ensure that the rights of the residents of Washington, D.C., are protected and respected.
The fight is not just in D.C., though, as people in other places, like Minneapolis, residents are also fighting back against the occupation of their communities. Since August 2025, many local governments have developed policies and filed lawsuits to stop President Donald Trump’s overreach and abuse of power.
“At a time when community trust is already fragile, it is essential that District resources are not used to facilitate federal enforcement actions that fall outside the District’s priorities or values, or that make our communities less safe,” George said.
“By creating clear boundaries around District cooperation with federal agencies, the Safe Community Places and Policing Amendment Act of 2025 ensures that the District prioritizes local safety and strengthens community trust.”
George and her allies on the Council are taking a stand for their residents, but it’s going to fall to the people of D.C. to also do their part by keeping a close eye on when the bill goes to a vote.
If passed, George’s proposal would stop the federal government from weaponizing D.C. law enforcement. It would not only offer some protection to citizens and non-citizens from ICE but also put more oversight on unchecked power, forcing authorities to go through the proper channels before using D.C. police to carry out any brazen action.
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