In a stunning about-face that’s sending shockwaves through progressive circles, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser—once a fierce defender of sanctuary city policies and outspoken opponent of Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts—is now seeking to repeal the very protections she once championed.
Yes, the same Muriel Bowser who painted a massive “Black Lives Matter” mural on D.C. streets and vowed to defy ICE under Trump’s presidency is now working with the Trump administration to overturn D.C.’s sanctuary city law, quietly sliding the change into her 2026 budget proposal, according to a report from Axios.
The proposed reversal would roll back prohibitions that currently bar:
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Local police from inquiring about immigration status;
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Authorities from transferring detainees to ICE;
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ICE from interviewing suspects in custody without a court order.
And she’s doing it without fanfare—no press conference, no public acknowledgment. Instead, the provision was buried deep in her budget, possibly to dodge backlash from the progressive D.C. Council, which still holds final say.
This move marks a stark contrast to Bowser’s rhetoric during Trump’s first term, when she proudly declared D.C. a “sanctuary city” on social media and slammed Trump’s immigration policies as “disturbing.” She vowed to shield immigrant families and resist ICE cooperation.
So what changed?
Bowser’s pivot may not be ideological so much as political and practical. D.C., like many urban centers, has been overwhelmed by the consequences of open-door policies, with surging costs for housing, healthcare, and public safety tied directly to the influx of illegal immigrants. And as the Trump administration reasserts its presence in federal governance, Bowser appears to be choosing cooperation over confrontation.
Interesting development: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser seeks to repeal the D.C. sanctuary city law & allow local police to cooperate with ICE. Even progressive leaders are starting to recognize the need for effective immigration enforcement and the rule of law. https://t.co/Nt7jIdlvYK
— RestoreTrustPAC (@RestoreTrustPAC) May 28, 2025
There’s also a glaring electoral calculus. With Trump back in the White House and immigration now a national kitchen-table issue, Bowser may be looking to salvage political credibility in a city growing tired of failed progressive experiments. Even deep-blue voters are demanding law and order, budget discipline, and basic functionality from city leaders.
The reversal doesn’t stop with immigration. In another symbolic shift, the giant “Black Lives Matter” street mural, painted during the 2020 George Floyd protests, has been removed. Once a centerpiece of Bowser’s resistance identity, it’s now gone without explanation—another quiet retreat from the performative progressivism that once defined her mayoralty.
