Demonstrators filled the streets of the nation’s capital for a second consecutive night this week, protesting the fatal shooting of a woman by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis and demanding an end to federal immigration enforcement in Washington, D.C.
Protesters marched from the 14th Street and U Street corridor on Thursday to the White House, chanting and calling for accountability in the death of Renee Good, who they described as a victim of excessive force by ICE. Activists also urged city leaders to stop cooperating with federal immigration officers.
As demonstrations continued, several members of the Washington, D.C., Council renewed calls for Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Metropolitan Police Department to cut ties with ICE, arguing that current policies have undermined transparency and public trust.
Happening now in DC: Large group of protestors marching down 14th St protesting ICE. pic.twitter.com/KhMDk07c9q
— Libbey Dean (@LibbeyDean_) January 8, 2026
The D.C. Council’s Committee on Public Works and Operations released a 30-page analysis that lays out why several council members want local leaders to reverse recent policies that allow the Metropolitan Police Department to work alongside federal immigration officers.
The document recommends that Mayor Muriel Bowser and Interim Police Chief Jeffrey Carroll withdraw two executive orders that expanded cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a move supporters of the report say has left residents unclear about the city’s role in federal immigration actions.
The council’s recommendations draw on testimony from a community forum held last October, in which participants described interactions with federal officers whom they said frequently operated without clear identification and used unmarked vehicles.
Committee Chair Councilwoman Brianne Nadeau said those concerns have undermined trust between residents and local law enforcement.
Bowser, however, has maintained that MPD does not enforce immigration law and that the city’s authority over ICE is limited.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a radio interview Friday that as the nation prepares to mark America’s 250th anniversary, cities like Washington, D.C., should be “run in the best possible way,” adding that policies he described as “harassing agents doing their job” are not helpful.
The renewed scrutiny comes amid data showing that immigration enforcement has played a major role in federal operations in Washington.
According to internal government figures obtained by CBS News in October 2025, nearly 40% of more than 3,500 arrests made during a high-profile federal crackdown in the city were immigration-related. Roughly 1,400 of those arrests were classified as administrative ICE arrests tied to civil immigration violations, such as illegal entry or overstaying a visa.
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The White House stated at the time that the focus of the enforcement surge was on crime, regardless of an individual’s immigration status.
As debate continues over the role of ICE in the District, council members say they plan to keep pressing for changes they believe will protect residents and restore trust in local law enforcement.
