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Illegal immigrants could dominate DC arrests under federalized police force, says expert

illegal-immigrants-could-dominate-dc-arrests-under-federalized-police-force,-says-expert
Illegal immigrants could dominate DC arrests under federalized police force, says expert

DC attorney general sues to block police takeover

Justice correspondent David Spunt joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ to discuss the Washington, D.C. Attorney General’s effort to block President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of local police. ‘Fox News Sunday’ anchor Shannon Bream also weighs in.

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A large number of arrests by the newly federalized Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department will likely be illegal immigrants, one expert predicts.

Some 29 of the 45 arrests that were announced by the Trump administration Wednesday were illegal immigrants. A day later, 15 of the 33 arrests were illegal immigrants, including a suspect from China.

“It will not be surprising to hear that a significant portion of arrests that occur under the federal intervention will be criminal aliens,” Jessica Vaughan, director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital. “Washington, D.C., has long suffered from problems with street gangs that include or are majority illegal alien, in part because of sanctuary policies, but also because prior waves of illegal immigration have led to large Central American diasporas in the region.”

AG BONDI STRIPS POWER FROM DC POLICE CHIEF, RESCINDS SANCTUARY CITY PROTECTIONS IN CRIME CRACKDOWN OPERATION

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks

Attorney General Pamela Bondi speaks during a DOJ and DEA Joint announcement on actions to combat drug cartels and drug trafficking under the Justice Department’s Operation Take Back America Initiative at the DEA Headquarters on July 15, 2025 in Arlington, VA.  (Craig Hudson For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“Gangs like MS-13 and 18th Street like to set up shop in these areas, so they can recruit, extort, and intimidate the population. Any city that tolerates illegal immigration is going to have a problem with criminal aliens who know they will be shielded from immigration enforcement,” Vaughan added.

This week, Attorney General Pam Bondi scrapped sanctuary policies from the department as part of a move that would override city laws on the matter.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Earlier today, DC Police Chief Pamela Smith issued an order permitting some cooperation with federal immigration authorities, but stopped short of allowing cooperation for the sole purpose of immigration enforcement.

DC TRAFFIC STOP REPORTING ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS A ‘GREAT STEP,’ TRUMP SAYS — OTHER BLUE CITIES COULD BE NEXT

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, President Donald Trump, center, Attorney General Pam Bondi, right.

US President Donald Trump, alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (L) and Attorney General Pam Bondi (R), speaks during a news conference to discuss crime in Washington, DC, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on August 11, 2025. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The short-lived Thursday order from Smith permitted officers to begin “sharing information about persons not in MPD custody” such as during “traffic stops” and to provide “transportation for federal immigration agency employees and detained subjects,” according to NBC 4 Washington.

“This intervention by Trump is an opportunity for ICE to make up for years of being hindered by the DC government, and to clear out criminal aliens who have preyed on the law-abiding population of the city. The gangs and predators will no longer have the run of city parks and public spaces the way they have in the recent past, and the ones who are here illegally will be sent home instead of back to the streets,” Vaughan continued.

Since President Donald Trump announced the police takeover on Monday, several federal agencies, along with the National Guard, have been patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C., and they are visible at key locations throughout the capital.

DC POLICE ANNOUNCE MAJOR ACTION ON IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AFTER TRUMP’S CRIME CRACKDOWN

Protesters confront ICE agents during California immigration raid

Residents surround federal and Border Patrol agents who plan their escape after an immigrant raid on Atlantic Blvd. in Bell, Califonia on June 19, 2025.  (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

“Under President Trump and [Homeland Security] Secretary [Kristi] Noem’s leadership, ICE law enforcement is being unleashed to keep America safe from dangerous criminals. As the secretary has announced, ICE and CBP have been deployed to help clean up the streets of our nation’s capital,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated.

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 “Our message is clear: Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States,” the spokesperson added.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.

Cameron Arcand is a politics writer at Fox News Digital in Washington D.C. Story tips can be sent to Cameron.Arcand@Fox.com and on Twitter: @cameron_arcand 

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