Testimony on civil rights violations from MPD’s cooperation with federal forces
On October 29, 2025, Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau, Chair of the Committee on Public Works & Operations, held a public roundtable on incidents since January that involve D.C. government coordination with federal entities or joint enforcement activity that may violate D.C. human rights laws.
The D.C. Human Rights Act protects against discriminatory or unlawful treatment of residents based on national origin, race, language, immigration status, homeless status or place of residence. The Committee on Public Works & Operations has oversight responsibility for the D.C. Office of Human Rights and requested their presence at the roundtable. The office did not attend.
Free DC provided testimony at this roundtable of more than 10 specific instances over the last 10 months when local cooperation with federal forces may have violated Constitutional rights. The full text of the testimony is below.
Testimony of Free DC before the Committee on Public Works & Operations
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 — John A. Wilson Building, Room 500
Good morning Chair Nadeau and members of the Committee.
Over the last 10 months DC has witnessed and experienced federal agents arresting people in ways that are violent, racially motivated, and that violate Constitutional rights. Local MPD officers often participate in or assist with these actions. I am here today to highlight some of the most troubling examples from the last 10 months.
Let’s start with violations of our rights under the Fourth Amendment, which protects us from unlawful searches and seizures:
On August 31, an MPD officer stopped a delivery driver, allegedly for possession of marijuana. However, personal possession is legal in DC, and it was found only after the officer illegally searched the driver’s vehicle. That means MPD initiated an illegal traffic stop and unconstitutionally detained the resident. MPD then transferred him to ICE custody.
On August 26, a federal judge dismissed a weapons charge after what she described as, “without a doubt the most illegal search I've ever seen in my life.” According to news reports, the search and arrest were carried out by a combination of MPD officers and federal agents.
Also in August, federal agents and MPD worked together to stop people on the street without any legal basis. These stops focused overwhelmingly on young, Black men, and most often resulted in charges like using marijuana in public, fare evasion, and traffic offences.
In September, MPD helped federal agents apprehend a young man for smoking marijuana in a park. Federal agents performed a subsequent search that found THC wax in a backpack. The federal agents’ reports included no information about how they knew the backpack or the THC wax belonged to the defendant.
Just this week we found out that on October 17, a DHS agent working alongside MPD shot into the car of an unarmed Black man, allegedly because the agent feared the man was going to hit him with his car. Thankfully, the DHS agent did not kill this person. An MPD officer told a judge that a superior instructed him not to document the shooting in a court record.
MPD and federal agents have also worked together to violate our rights under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments. These protect us against self-incrimination and guarantee legal counsel. Both local and federal officers must notify any person detained or arrested of these rights, called Miranda warnings, but this is not happening.
Dozens of bystander videos show MPD officers and federal law enforcement failing to give Miranda warnings when making arrests. Bystander witness statements confirm these failures.
On August 30, MPD officers provoked a man sitting on a bench in Malcolm X Park. When the man asserted his rights, MPD officers continued to antagonize him until masked federal agents arrived. Dozens of bystanders recorded the agents grabbing the man and whisking him away. At no point did any of the officers involved advise the man of his Constitutional rights.
MPD and federal agents are often making up perceived threats to justify their violations of our rights.
On August 28 at 1610 Park Rd NW, an MPD officer used his cell phone to record and photograph a concerned bystander as she recorded his and other officers actions. He stated that he did so to “protect” himself from any harm she might cause him.
On October 3, MPD and federal officers worked together to arrest a man outside DC Bilingual. An MPD officer was recorded saying, "You have such a problem with us, don't call 911 next time.”
MPD has also collaborated with agents engaged in outright unprovoked and unjustified violence, tackling and slamming residents into the ground, choking residents and even children while detaining them.
DC residents are recording interactions between community members and police, and more violations would likely be happening were it not for these recordings.
These arrests are violating due process. In many cases, federal agents refused to identify themselves or their agency, refused to provide any information on where they were taking the person, and prevented the individual they were detaining from talking to others who could share what was happening with loved ones or lawyers. We know that individuals are being intentionally disappeared into Trump’s mass deportation machine.
Federal agents' tactics reveal several potential steps DC Council could take to protect DC residents during this time. Those include:
Prohibit federal law enforcement officers in DC from obscuring their faces for any operations against civilians with no known violent history.
Require federal law enforcement officers in DC to identify themselves by name, agency, and/or badge number when asked.
Prohibit MPD from contacting federal agents over personal possession of marijuana. DC decriminalized marijuana to stop racial profiling, and it has emerged as a key tool powering cooperation between local and federal agencies.
Require MPD to file reporting on any interactions they have with a minor, including conversations on the street. These interactions are particularly vulnerable to abuses of power.
Strip offending law enforcement of any qualified immunity protections should they invade schools, community centers, and worship centers solely to harass and snatch children for reasons cited above.
Require strict limitations on mutual aid agreements between MPD and federal law enforcement with regards to requests for back-up in consensual encounters, traffic stops, and checkpoints on D.C.’s streets.
Close the loophole in the Sanctuary Values Act which allows MPD to report people to ICE who are stopped or detained, rather than taken into custody.
DC communities deserve transparency and accountability on MPD's coordination with federal law enforcement agencies, including immigration agencies. Thank you so much for the opportunity to discuss these points with you all today.