Trump’s emergency in DC ends: what’s next

Trump’s emergency declaration in DC expires: What it means for law enforcement

The emergency declaration behind the federal takeover of Washington DC expires today, according to the mayor's office. President Donald Trump can't control its police force more than 30 days without Congress. Analysts expect he will continue his DC National Guard deployment and federal law enforcement surge. This was one of the most unsafe cities in the country. Now it's as safe as there is in the country. Some DC residents say they don't want Trump to be so involved in their city.C campuses have walked in the face. Police say homicides, car thefts, robberies, and violent crime are down in DC since the takeover. So is restaurant traffic. OpenTable says seated diners for online reservations dropped 2% between July and August and 5% compared to June. The nonprofit Destination DC also reports *** decline in tourism. I took the metro here, didn't see any National Guard, didn't see any issues. Now Republican lawmakers are introducing bills to expand federal control of D.C.'s justice system, and Trump says other cities are in his sights. The president would love to do this in every Democrat-run city across the country. I'm Amy Kiley reporting.

Updated: 6:27 AM CDT Sep 10, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Trump’s emergency declaration in DC expires: What it means for law enforcement

Updated: 6:27 AM CDT Sep 10, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

President Donald Trump’s 30-day emergency declaration in Washington, D.C., expires at the end of Wednesday, the mayor’s office says, but the federal law enforcement surge in the nation’s capital is expected to continue.Here’s what you need to know:What happens Thursday?Once the emergency ends, Trump will lose his broad authority under the D.C. Home Rule Act to commandeer local police services for federal purposes. In recent weeks, the administration has ordered D.C.’s mayor to provide police support for federal operations such as immigration enforcement.Starting Thursday, local officials — including the mayor and police chief — will regain the power to deny such requests, potentially leaving federal agencies to handle certain operations on their own.However, this is just one aspect of the federal crime-fighting efforts in the nation’s capital, which are not expected to end abruptly.What will happen with the National Guard and ICE?The Trump administration can still deploy federal law enforcement and National Guard troops across the city, a presence officials say will continue. The military has already extended the National Guard deployment in D.C. through at least the end of November, though the president could end it sooner.“Federal agents and officers have always been able to stop people. They have arrest authority in the district, and that won’t change,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference Monday. “MPD will continue to work with our federal agencies, as we’ve always done, in ways that are strategic for public safety.”Bowser issued an executive order last week requiring ongoing coordination between local law enforcement and various federal partners, though Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the National Guard were notably excluded.How did the emergency affect crime?Bowser has touted a 39% drop in violent crime and 29% increase in arrests since the federal surge began, though she’s emphasized that it’s part of a broader downward trend driven by local police efforts over the past two years.In the first three weeks of Trump’s takeover of D.C. policing, reported violent crime incidents dropped by 10% from the previous three-week period, while reported property crime incidents fell by 25%, according to public data released by the Metropolitan Police Department. Overall, reported crime decreased in all seven of D.C.’s police districts.Much of the federal surge has been concentrated overnight. Metropolitan Police Department crime suppression teams pair with federal agents — including those from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — fanning out across D.C.’s high-crime neighborhoods. These joint squads have brought a significant boost in manpower — more than 500 extra federal officers on the streets every night, a source told CNN, filling an officer shortage that city leaders have long lamented.MPD largely guides where these teams are deployed, relying on their local expertise to target the city’s crime hot spots.“This isn’t elaborate,” a law enforcement source told CNN. “The sheer number of officers added to these areas has evidently created a fear among those who commit crime in the city, and they seem to be standing back for now.”What will Bowser do now?Since Trump’s emergency declaration on Aug. 11, Bowser — a Democrat and Trump critic in the past — has largely cooperated with the administration and federal law enforcement to avoid provoking the president and risking a more aggressive federal intervention. That could include the administration pulling federal funding, federal control over local schools or law enforcement, or even a full revocation of D.C.’s home rule — steps some Republican lawmakers have openly advocated.While the mayor’s publicly stated goal is to maintain D.C.’s autonomy and navigate the city out of the federal emergency, she is likely to continue some cooperation with the Trump administration to avoid a more dramatic federal takeover. However, she has criticized the presence of masked ICE agents making arrests and armed National Guard troops patrolling busy areas.ICE operations across D.C. have led to violent arrests and tense interactions between officers and local residents.D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit last week seeking to end the National Guard deployment, calling it a “military occupation” that violates federal law and the U.S. Constitution.Bottom line: When Trump’s emergency order expires on Wednesday, his power to control D.C.’s police will end. But for now, there’s no sign that the federal surge is going away. Some city leaders may welcome aspects of the continued support, but the uneasy partnership between local officials and the Trump administration could lead to more clashes in the weeks ahead.

WASHINGTON —

Here’s what you need to know:

What happens Thursday?

Once the emergency ends, Trump will lose his broad authority under the D.C. Home Rule Act to commandeer local police services for federal purposes. In recent weeks, the administration has ordered D.C.’s mayor to provide police support for federal operations such as immigration enforcement.

Starting Thursday, local officials — including the mayor and police chief — will regain the power to deny such requests, potentially leaving federal agencies to handle certain operations on their own.

However, this is just one aspect of the federal crime-fighting efforts in the nation’s capital, which are not expected to end abruptly.

What will happen with the National Guard and ICE?

The Trump administration can still deploy federal law enforcement and National Guard troops across the city, a presence officials say will continue. The military has already extended the National Guard deployment in D.C. through at least the end of November, though the president could end it sooner.

“Federal agents and officers have always been able to stop people. They have arrest authority in the district, and that won’t change,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference Monday. “MPD will continue to work with our federal agencies, as we’ve always done, in ways that are strategic for public safety.”

Bowser issued an executive order last week requiring ongoing coordination between local law enforcement and various federal partners, though Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the National Guard were notably excluded.

How did the emergency affect crime?

Bowser has touted a 39% drop in violent crime and 29% increase in arrests since the federal surge began, though she’s emphasized that it’s part of a broader downward trend driven by local police efforts over the past two years.

In the first three weeks of Trump’s takeover of D.C. policing, reported violent crime incidents dropped by 10% from the previous three-week period, while reported property crime incidents fell by 25%, according to public data released by the Metropolitan Police Department. Overall, reported crime decreased in all seven of D.C.’s police districts.

Much of the federal surge has been concentrated overnight. Metropolitan Police Department crime suppression teams pair with federal agents — including those from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — fanning out across D.C.’s high-crime neighborhoods. These joint squads have brought a significant boost in manpower — more than 500 extra federal officers on the streets every night, a source told CNN, filling an officer shortage that city leaders have long lamented.

MPD largely guides where these teams are deployed, relying on their local expertise to target the city’s crime hot spots.

“This isn’t elaborate,” a law enforcement source told CNN. “The sheer number of officers added to these areas has evidently created a fear among those who commit crime in the city, and they seem to be standing back for now.”

What will Bowser do now?

Since Trump’s emergency declaration on Aug. 11, Bowser — a Democrat and Trump critic in the past — has largely cooperated with the administration and federal law enforcement to avoid provoking the president and risking a more aggressive federal intervention. That could include the administration pulling federal funding, federal control over local schools or law enforcement, or even a full revocation of D.C.’s home rule — steps some Republican lawmakers have openly advocated.

While the mayor’s publicly stated goal is to maintain D.C.’s autonomy and navigate the city out of the federal emergency, she is likely to continue some cooperation with the Trump administration to avoid a more dramatic federal takeover. However, she has criticized the presence of masked ICE agents making arrests and armed National Guard troops patrolling busy areas.

ICE operations across D.C. have led to violent arrests and tense interactions between officers and local residents.

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit last week seeking to end the National Guard deployment, calling it a “military occupation” that violates federal law and the U.S. Constitution.

Bottom line: When Trump’s emergency order expires on Wednesday, his power to control D.C.’s police will end. But for now, there’s no sign that the federal surge is going away. Some city leaders may welcome aspects of the continued support, but the uneasy partnership between local officials and the Trump administration could lead to more clashes in the weeks ahead.

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