On Thursday, Chief Smith announced the MPD will begin to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, conceding to a demand by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who said the department must end its “sanctuary city” policies. President Trump welcomed the announcement, telling reporters, “I think this could happen all over the country.” The ACLU of Washington, D.C., called the police chief’s order “dangerous and unnecessary,” writing, “Immigration enforcement is not the role of local police — and when law enforcement aligns itself with ICE, it fosters fear among D.C. residents, regardless of citizenship status.”