Bowser moves to formally repeal D.C.’s ‘sanctuary city’ status

It was five years ago that Mayor Muriel Bowser called D.C. a "proud sanctuary city," but now she’s trying to scrub the designation and protections it offers some immigrants.

As part of her proposed budget for 2026, Bowser is pushing to repeal a 2019 law that limits how and when city agencies – notably the Department of Corrections and Metropolitan Police Department – can cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts. 

The Sanctuary Values Amendment Act addressed what are known as detainer requests, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ask local law enforcement or a jail to hold someone who would otherwise be released so they can be picked up by immigration agents. The law – which was unanimously approved by the D.C. Council and signed by Bowser – prohibits agencies from honoring such detainer requests, unless a warrant or judicial order is provided, and forbids federal immigration officials from questioning people in the city’s custody.

D.C. lawmakers and supporters of the measure argued that it would promote public safety by reassuring immigrants nervous about interacting with local police that they could safely report crimes. The idea is enshrined in the law itself: “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,” reads the council legislation. “Collaborating with ICE, including by complying with detainer requests, does not promote public safety.”

Similar “sanctuary city” measures were enacted liberal cities and jurisdictions across the country, from Arlington County to the state of California. 

Speaking on Thursday, Bowser said that the sanctuary-city provision may not belong in city law, but could possibly be addressed through other means like executive orders from her office.

“It’s the only place we found in our law that references D.C. as a sanctuary… It is a pretty specific measure that’s related to how we work with ICE. It is a misnomer for the city. We are happy to work with the council to make sure that provisions that are reflected there are raised up, but we don’t think having it in statute is the way to go," she said. "There’s some question whether it should be in the law at all, and if so, it should pinpoint the issues it addresses directly."

But Bowser’s proposed repeal – four lines of text buried deep in a 300-page budget bill – also reflects her changing posture during the second Trump administration as she tries to stave off more aggressive interference in city affairs by Republicans. It could also increase criticisms that she is compromising too much of the city's practices and values in her attempt to stay on the good side of the Trump administration.

Bowser already quietly removed a city website that touted its support for immigrants months ago, a symbolic step that mirrored her decision to deconstruct Black Lives Matter Plaza, and stopped using the phrase “sanctuary city.” But that didn’t stop Republicans from coming after the District:  A House committee advanced a bill that would specifically target D.C.’s sanctuary law for repeal in March, and a similar bill is pending in the Senate. 

“Unconscionable that our nation’s capital would facilitate illegality and thwart federal law enforcement efforts,” said Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee) in a statement in late April. “President Trump’s efforts to enforce immigration laws should not be undermined by local leadership anywhere in the United States, let alone Washington, D.C.

Trump officials have also questioned whether D.C.'s sanctuary status should prompt Republicans to repeal the city's ability to govern itself, and this month House Republicans also took aim at the city law that allows non-citizens to vote in local elections.

Still, Bowser has said that she was “disturbed” by ICE enforcement actions at local restaurants and in neighborhoods. (Federal officials say they arrested 189 people, largely for immigration violations.) And in a letter sent to federal officials in April, she defended the city’s practice of not cooperating on immigration enforcement.

“MPD has a critical job to make the District of Columbia safe for everyone,” she wrote. “MPD’s policy for more than two decades has been to not ask individuals about immigration status. As law enforcement, MPD knows that when there are groups who hesitate to report crime to the police, they often become targets for serious crime. Allowing that to flourish makes everyone in the city less safe.”

Bowser’s proposed repeal of the city’s sanctuary law will now be considered by the D.C. Council as it reviews her proposed budget.