Trump Says He Will Declare National Emergency If Washington Stops Cooperating With ICE

The president said that ‘crime would come roaring back’ if the local police department stops cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Federal agents detain a man at a metro station in Washington on Sept. 3, 2025. Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Images via AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Sept. 15 threatened to declare a national emergency in the District of Columbia after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said local police would no longer cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

Trump declared a crime emergency in the nation’s capital and ordered a 30-day federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on Aug. 11, deploying federal law enforcement and National Guard troops to combat crime in the city.