D.C. police chief orders more cooperation with immigration agents

The Washington, D.C., police chief stepped up cooperation between her officers and federal immigration officials as President Trump's law enforcement takeover of the nation’s capital took root Thursday.

- By AsHRaAF KHALIL

KEVIN DIETSCH Getty Images MEMBERS of the National Guard stand outside the Union Station transit hub in Washington on Thursday.

National Guard troops watched over some of the world’s most renowned landmarks and Humvees took up position in front of the busy main train station.

The chief's order establishes that Metropolitan Police Department officers may now share information with immigration agencies regarding people not in custody — such as someone involved in a traffic stop or checkpoint. Officers may also provide “transportation for federal immigration employees and detained subject,” the order states.

The changes, which raise collaboration between the two forces in notable ways, erodes the district’s longstanding policy against cooperating with civil immigration enforcement. They are effective immediately.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, walking a tightrope between the Republican White House and the constituency of her largely Democratic city, was out of town Thursday fora family commitment in Martha’s Vineyard but would be back Friday, her office said.