A D.C. Council member is proposing emergency legislation to prohibit the District from cooperating with federal immigration agencies.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared the District a sanctuary city, and a law passed in 2012 set restrictions on when the Department of Corrections can hold individuals in custody past their release dates to comply with immigration detainer requests. But council member Charles Allen, who represents Ward 6, said the law is no longer sufficient.
“Since passage of the act, ICE’s practices have evolved to include requesting notification of individuals’ release dates, in addition to or instead of holds,” said Allen in a proposed resolution.
The bill would stop city agencies from working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless provided a judicial warrant or order. This includes sharing information with ICE, complying with detainer requests or allowing ICE agents to enter city facilities, such as the jail, juvenile justice facilities and St. Elizabeths Hospital.
Under the current policy, the Department of Corrections notifies ICE 48 hours before releasing an inmate with an ICE detainer. In August, Washington City Paper reported that 43 undocumented immigrants were picked up from city facilities by ICE between January 2016 and June 2019.
“The District has a responsibility to ensure that all residents are respected and able to interact with public safety officials without fear of adverse civil immigration action,” Allen said in the resolution.
Ahead of planned ICE raids in July, D.C. police released videos telling the public their officers are prohibited from asking about immigration status and do not enforce federal immigration laws.
In recent months, several other local law enforcement agencies have clarified their policies on working with federal immigration agencies.
Montgomery County announced in July that all county agencies are prohibited from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or even asking people about their immigration status.
In Prince George’s County, police said they will only cooperate with ICE when “the primary focus of a federal investigation is not immigration violations.”
The D.C. Council will review the bill, co-sponsored by council members David Grosso (I-At Large), Brianne K. Nadeau (D-Ward 1) and Elissa Silverman (I-At Large), at its meeting on Oct. 8.
