WASHINGTON—During the legislative meeting on Tuesday, March 3, D.C. councilmembers unanimously passed two emergency bills to begin holding federal occupying agents accountable. These two bills, a compromise between councilmembers Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) and Robert White (D-At Large), who are both running for Congress, are the “Body-Worn Camera Transparency for Use of Force Emergency Amendment Act of 2026” and the “Full Accountability in Arrest Reporting Emergency Amendment Act of 2026.”
The emergency legislation will make it possible for D.C. (Metropolitan Police Department, MPD) police officers, who typically accompany federal agents in ride-alongs and joint operations, to document federal agents present at the scene of an MPD arrest; document federal officers use of force; and publish MPD body-worn camera footage of any federal use of force, in accordance with consent requirements for victims. This passed despite objections from Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is responsible for the executive orders that exploit loopholes in current local laws to allow cooperation between MPD and federal immigration enforcement.
These bills come as a result of a recent performance oversight hearing of D.C.’s police, where the new interim police chief, Jeffrey Carroll, denied any involvement with immigration enforcement and breaking of the district’s sanctuary law. Dozens of residents filled the council chambers and testified about their experiences with the federal occupation, which began in August of 2025, and the collaboration between local police and federal law enforcement, which continues to this day.
ICE kidnappings, flying checkpoints, jump-outs, citation arrests for quotas, military-grade flashbangs being deployed in residential neighborhoods, stop-and-frisk, and more have all been documented by D.C. neighbors. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) began to document these human rights abuses by federal occupation forces at a roundtable she hosted in October of 2025. She recently released a report calling on the Mayor and Police Chief to rescind their executive orders, which have led to human rights abuses in the district, with the cooperation of Trump’s “Safe and Beautiful” Task Force. In her report, she noted that “the Council should exhaust all means to require that federal law enforcement officers are subject to the same restrictions imposed on MPD officers not to wear masks or face coverings and to provide identification.” The bills passed this week do not directly address these concerns, but they provide an avenue to potentially hold federal officers more accountable.
Another public safety hearing led by council member Pinto took place in December 2025, where dozens of residents also testified about their experiences with the occupation and the lack of the local government stepping up to stop the attacks on residents. Several organizations like Free D.C., Movimiento Migrante D.C., and Families Not Feds Coalition have been consistently advocating for the D.C. Council to put forth legislation to block agents from terrorizing immigrant residents and workers, as well as Black youth who have also been targeted.
Following the December hearing, council member Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) introduced legislation that would close the loophole in DC’s Sanctuary Values Act, called “Safe Community Places and Policing Amendment Act of 2025.” This bill would prevent D.C. agencies from providing transportation for federal law enforcement or their detainees, and from participating in immigration enforcement. This bill has yet to have a public hearing, which is required prior to being agendized for an initial vote to make it law.
In recent months, there have been a number of murders of immigrants and U.S. citizens by federal agents. These include Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota and Keith Porter, Jr. in California. D.C. has not avoided this type of terror and violence. Last year, a D.C. resident named Phillip Brown was almost killed at a traffic stop when homeland security agents shot into his car, piercing his seat and barely missing his body. And more recently, in February of 2026, Julian Bailey was shot to death by U.S. Marshals with little explanation of what transpired. The community has been advocating and demanding transparency and answers for these shootings by federal law enforcement.
The D.C. community has largely shown restraint since the federal occupation, engaging in creative, all-encompassing ways to combat the “Safe and Beautiful” Task Force and the National Guard deployment. D.C. residents hope that this emergency legislation and the elections in June and November will lead to a wave of change in the district, expelling the National Guard and federal agents and strengthening Home Rule with new fighters in Congress, in the Mayoral seat, and on the city council.
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