This City, Especially, Shouldn’t Tolerate Illegal Immigration
June 19, 2025
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Washington, D.C., morphed into one of the most secure and fortified cities in America. Concrete barricades and iron fencing were erected around sensitive locations. And for better or worse, residents and commuters got used to being discretely monitored by a vast network of downtown surveillance cameras while acclimating to searches when entering federal buildings. But even though Washingtonians now accept screening in exchange for enhanced public safety, those with unknown motives who have broken U.S. laws incur little scrutiny. Thanks to Washington, D.C.’s sanctuary policy, roughly 38,000 illegal aliens live in the city with minimal concern for being identified or facing consequences.
Enacted in 2020, Washington, D.C. Law 23-282, euphemistically titled the “Sanctuary Values Amendment Act,” restricts local law enforcement from working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and prohibits city jails from complying with ICE detainers. It’s an astonishing restriction given the volume of inter-departmental collaboration that otherwise routinely occurs between multiple law enforcement entities focused on protecting the White House, the Capitol, and dozens of other crucial national assets. Thirty-two different police agencies currently operate and cooperate with one another in the nation’s capital, ranging from the U.S. Capitol Police to the Department of State Diplomatic Security to the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division. The city has a long history of working with a variety of security partners given its status as a federal district under the direct jurisdiction of Congress, yet D.C. officials are restricted from communicating with ICE.
ICE has taken note and does not seem deterred by D.C.’s obstructionism. The agency recently apprehended 189 illegal aliens and served notices of inspection to 187 local businesses during an immigration enforcement operation focusing on criminal alien offenders in and around D.C. Field Office Director Russell Hott states, “Throughout this enhanced enforcement operation, we targeted the most dangerous alien offenders in some of the most crime-infested neighborhoods in the city.” While ICE collaborated with the FBI, the ATF, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service and other law enforcement partners, notably missing was the Washington, D.C., Police Department which was prohibited from cooperating due to the city’s sanctuary policies.
https://www.fairus.org/blog/2025/06/19/wash-dc-city-council-reckless-sanctuary-policies
