October 17th, 2025 

The Honorable Muriel E. Bowser 

Mayor of the District of Columbia 

John A. Wilson Building 

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20004 

CC: Chief Pamela A. Smith, Metropolitan Police Department 

Re: Clarification on MPD Cooperation with Federal Immigration Enforcement and Accountability for Recent Incidents Near Schools 

Dear Mayor Bowser, 

I am writing to request clear, public answers from your administration regarding the Metropolitan Police Department’s current directives and practices related to cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agencies—including ICE, HSI, CBP, and the FBI—and to understand how accountability is ensured when MPD actions appear inconsistent with those directives. 

Over the past several weeks, my office has received repeated outreach from families, educators, and community leaders describing deeply distressing incidents in which MPD officers appear to act in coordination with federal immigration agents near schools and residential neighborhoods.  These accounts have come from E.L. Haynes Public Charter School, DC Bilingual PCS, Washington Latin PCS (2nd Street and Cooper Campuses), Mundo Verde PCS, and the Bunker Hill Elementary School PTO, among others. 

Parents and caregivers across these communities describe the same pattern: children witnessing arrests near dismissal or along walking routes; residents and teachers afraid to intervene or ask questions; and MPD officers responding with hostility when bystanders attempted to understand what was happening. 

At DC Bilingual PCS, one of the most well-documented incidents occurred on September 25 outside the school at dismissal.  Video footage and eyewitness statements indicate that MPD officers detained two young Latino men alongside federal agents.  According to multiple accounts, one officer told concerned parents and staff who were recording the incident, “If you have such a problem with us, don’t call 911 next time.”  This type of statement—especially made in front of children—undermines the very trust MPD depends on to keep communities safe. 

Since your September 10 statement that “immigration enforcement is not what MPD does, and with the end of the emergency, it won’t be what MPD does in the future,” many families and schools have reached out seeking clarity on what that means in practice. Residents are asking how such incidents can still occur, what directives are currently guiding MPD’s engagement with federal agencies, and how complaints or evidence of potential misconduct will be handled. 

In the interest of transparency and community reassurance, I respectfully request your administration provide written, on-the-record answers to the following:  

1. Is MPD continuing to cooperate with ICE or participate in immigration-enforcement-related arrests? Such actions appear to contradict your September 10 statement. If the incident outside DC Bilingual was not immigration-related, please clarify what occurred and confirm that those detained were not transferred into ICE custody. 

1. What specific directives are currently in effect governing MPD’s coordination with federal law-enforcement or immigration-enforcement agencies? When were they issued, and under whose authority? 

1. What guidance have MPD officers received regarding joint operations with federal agents near schools, playgrounds, or community spaces? Are such operations consistent with existing MPD policy and training? 

1. What mechanisms exist for residents and schools to report incidents in which MPD officers appear to act beyond the scope of these directives, and what accountability processes ensure that officers who fail to comply are reviewed and, where appropriate, disciplined? 

1. Will your administration commit to a public accounting or review of recent incidents, including the September 25 incident at DC Bilingual PCS and others reported by E.L. Haynes, Washington Latin, Mundo Verde, and Bunker Hill communities? Will findings be shared with affected schools and ANCs? 

1. How can residents expect to receive follow-up communication from MPD or your office after such incidents, to confirm that concerns are investigated and that corrective steps have been taken? 

These are the same questions our residents, parents, and teachers have been asking for weeks.  They are seeking assurance that the District remains a city where families can send their children to school without fear of seeing classmates or neighbors detained in front of them—and where the police who serve them are accountable to the values and laws of this city. 

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I respectfully request a written response addressing the above questions and identifying a senior EOM and MPD point of contact to provide ongoing communication to the affected communities. 

Sincerely, 

Robert C. White, Jr. 

Councilmember, At-Large 

Council of the District of Columbia