After a US federal court's order, the Trump administration reversed its order to take control of Washington, DC, on Friday.
The Trump administration has not only reversed the order but has also decided to let the current DC police chief remain in charge of the police force. The decision to allow DC police chief Chief Pamela Smith to run the department came after officials in the country’s capital blocked Trump’s takeover move of the Washington police.
The move could have extended immense power to President Trump, who is already under fire for ICE crackdowns on immigrants in the country. On Friday, US District Judge Ana Reyes ruled that Trump cannot legally take control of the city police, since it might give him unreasonable power in the city.
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"The way I read the statute, the president can ask, the mayor must provide, but the president can't control," Reyes said. Trump had deployed hundreds of National Guard in Washington in a bid to control growing crime rates in the city.
He termed the event “Liberation Day” and said that the city needed to be rescued from the booming crimes and bloodshed. The lawsuit against the Trump administration was filed by the DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who had sought a court order blocking the takeover as illegal.
The move to take over the capital's police is Trump's latest attempt to test the extent of his legal authorities.
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