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DC Council urges mayor, MPD to end cooperation with ICE
A new report by a D.C. Council committee is calling for the mayor and D.C. police to end cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It comes as people are participating in an anti-ICE protest in Northwest tonight. FOX 5's Homa Bash is live with the latest.
WASHINGTON - Hundreds of protesters gathered in D.C. on Thursday, marching through the streets, in protest of what they called the devastating death of a woman who was shot by ICE agents.
They are calling Renee Good's death a murder, and are demanding that the federal officer who fired the fatal shots – and the Trump administration as a whole – be held accountable for it.
With that, some members of the D.C. Council are now calling on the mayor and the Metropolitan Police Department to stop cooperating with ICE, alleging it could be potentially dangerous for residents of the District.
READ MORE: ICE officer who fatally shot woman in Minneapolis identified
What we know:
As demonstrators gathered for a second night in D.C., they demanded that federal agents with ICE be taken off of the streets of the nation’s capital.
Meanwhile, some councilmembers want the District to cut ties with ICE agents, saying there hasn't been enough transparency throughout the entire process.
In a 30-page report released today by the Committee on Public Works and Operations, councilmembers are calling on D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and MPD Interim Police Chief Jeffrey Carroll to rescind two executive orders that allow D.C. police to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agents.
The mayor, meanwhile, has maintained that D.C. police do not enforce immigration laws.
READ MORE: Dozens gather in DC to protest after woman shot, killed by ICE agent in Minneapolis
Big picture view:
The report stems from a roundtable back in October, where dozens of witnesses testified about federal agents wearing masks, in unmarked cars, and acting with impunity.
Councilwoman Brianne Nadeau, who chairs the committee, said the policies have eroded public trust in MPD.
"We had a very strong policy of not cooperating with ice not sharing info with them and residents felt when they called police they could trust their business would stay with them and police. and now that's just not true," Nadeau said.
"You can ask me a thousand questions, send a thousand questions to chief about ICE. ICE is patrolling American cities. If we don't want that, Congress has to stop funding ICE because thousands of agents who are untrained to police in urban environments are on our streets," Bowser said.
The protests started at 14th and U Streets and ended up at the White House as demonstrators made their voices heard.
READ MORE: Woman killed by ICE in Minneapolis: What we know about Renee Nicole Good
No statements:
FOX 5 did reach out to both ICE and the White House for comment on the D.C. Council report but have not yet heard back.