Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an executive order Tuesday requiring the Democrat-controlled city’s law enforcement to cooperate with federal agents “to the maximum extent allowable by law,” with no expiration date, as President Donald Trump’s emergency crime crackdown nears its scheduled end.
The Democratic mayor’s order comes three weeks after Trump called in troops and federalized the DC police force for 30 days, which expires next week. Bowser’s directive ensures continued coordination between city and federal authorities beyond the presidential emergency.
“We don’t have a crime problem in Washington anymore,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. “And the mayor has been very helpful.”
Bowser shared draft language of the executive order with senior White House officials before signing it, according to sources familiar with the process. She has been in close contact with Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller since Trump launched the federal presence in the District.
The mayor touted results from the federal intervention at a press conference last week, citing an 87% drop in carjackings and a 45% decrease in violent crime. Only two homicides have occurred since the federal takeover began August 11.
“Outreach teams identified 764 total individuals living outside, with 81 people living in tents,” Bowser’s office stated. “Since the start of the surge, approximately 80 additional individuals have entered the District’s shelter system.”
Trump praised Bowser on Truth Social, claiming her popularity has risen 25%.
“Mayor Muriel Bowser of DC has become very popular because she worked with me and my great people in bringing CRIME down to virtually NOTHING in DC,” he wrote Monday.
The cooperation strategy puts Bowser at odds with other Democratic mayors who are resisting Trump’s threats to send federal officials to their cities. Her approach reflects DC’s unique constitutional status, where Congress has ultimate authority over city laws and budgets.
“I think she’s very smart to be doing this,” a senior White House official said, praising Bowser’s “candor and recognizing she needed help.”
Bowser has faced criticism from some local Democrats. Council member Zachary Parker said “most Washingtonians want decisions guided by our community values, not federal overreach.”
The mayor’s order establishes an emergency operations center to coordinate communications between local and federal agencies. It requires federal agents to identify themselves and avoid wearing masks, opening ICE enforcement to public “doxxing” in the heavily Democratic city where 92% of voters supported Kamala Harris.
DC Police Chief Pamela Smith authorized cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on suspected illegal immigrants, though Bowser had previously criticized masked ICE agents for “terrorizing communities.”
National Guard troops have been assigned beautification tasks around the city including picking up trash, removing graffiti, and raking leaves as part of Trump’s “Safe and Beautiful Task Force.”
Bowser met with Trump at the White House before her recent press conference, where she credited the federal surge with decreasing crime. The meeting followed discussions with Bondi and Wiles.
“There might be things she says in public,” a White House official said, “but for all intents and purposes, she has been working with the administration behind the scenes.”
The mayor’s order manages the District’s response to Trump’s task force “on a continuing basis” and provides what she called “the pathway forward beyond the Presidential emergency.”
“We didn’t ask for any federal officers; we’re driving crime down,” Bowser said last week. “But while they’re here, how can we most strategically use them to accelerate the work that MPD has done?”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration is “grateful to continue partnering with Mayor Bowser to make DC the safest city in the country.”
The strategy carries political risks for Bowser in a city where Democrats vastly outnumber Republicans. Some council members who initially understood her delicate position have begun publicly breaking with her approach.
Trump called the transformation dramatic during a visit to a Park Police operations center. “It’s like a different city. It’s the capital and it’s going to be the best in the world,” he said.
Long before Trump took office, federal law enforcement coordinated only with DC police on warrants and gun crime investigations. Now many more federal officers are also focused on illegal immigration and street patrols previously handled by local police.