US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would declare a national emergency and federalise Washington, DC, after Mayor Muriel Bowser said its police would not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), reports Reuters.
The dispute centres on the provision of information on individuals living in, or entering, the United States illegally.
Trump's threat adds to a move critics have seen as federal overreach, with more than 2,000 troops patrolling the city.
"To the people and businesses of Washington, D.C., DON'T WORRY, I AM WITH YOU, AND WON'T ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN. I'll call a National Emergency, and Federalize, if necessary!!!," Trump said on Truth Social.
The comments come after several thousand protesters took to the streets this month in response to his August deployment of National Guard troops to what he described as an effort to "re-establish law, order, and public safety," after calling crime a blight on the capital.
"In just a few weeks. The "place" is absolutely booming... for the first time in decades, virtually NO CRIME," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Mayor Bowser's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the president's remarks.
Earlier, Trump had placed the metropolitan police department under direct federal oversight and deployed federal law enforcement agents, including ICE members, to patrol the streets.
It is unclear when their mission will end.
Trump blamed "Radical Left Democrats" for pressuring Bowser to inform the government about the non-cooperation with ICE.
He said that if the police do not cooperate with ICE, "Crime would come roaring back."
Bowser, who has previously praised Trump's deployment of federal law enforcement, earlier signed an order directing the city to coordinate with federal law enforcement.
The National Guard serves as a militia that answers to the governors of the 50 states, except when called into federal service.
The D.C. National Guard reports directly to the president.
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