alpacaherder.bsky.social profile picture

Stephen Michael Kellat

@alpacaherder.bsky.social

804 Followers

563 Following

Former federal civil servant. Current instructor of Computer and Information Systems. Multiple affiliations but I do not speak on behalf of any of them through this account.

Contact via Signal: alpacaherder.27

  1. The former. But the guidance also told officers to comply with DC Official Code § 24-211.07, which is the local sanctuary ordinance that restricts the kind of immigration cooperation that the Trump administration wants them to do. So now Bondi is purporting to overturn today's guidance, plus this.

    CODE OF CONDUCT (GO-PER-201.26) PAGE 7 OF 14 investigation, or initiate any inquiries into the case of another member without the consent of that member or authorization from the commanding official. 22. IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT – Members shall not make any inquiry through any database solely for the purpose of inquiring about an individual’s immigration status. Members shall not make inquiries into any person’s immigration status for the purpose of determining whether they have violated the civil immigration laws or for the purpose of enforcing civil immigration laws. In accordance with DC Official Code § 24–211.07, members are prohibited from assisting with the enforcement of civil immigration laws. MPD’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement activities, including regarding individuals in MPD custody, is strictly limited to those instances where members have verified, consistent with the procedures outlined in GOPCA-702.01 (Arrest Warrants), that there is a criminal warrant or criminal judicial order in effect.

    Sorry, I'm confused. Did current police chief Smith direct officers to share information on people not in custody or to NOT share such information? I would expect the latter, the AP reports the former.

    4
  2. So far, DC has declined to file litigation, especially as the Home Rule Act does permit Trump to take at some control over MPD. But directing MPD to assist DHS with a broader operation is very different from replacing the Commissioner and ordering MPD to violate DC Code. I have to image DC sues now.

    D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said his office’s first instinct isn’t to a file a lawsuit in response to President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of the city’s police department.

    ‘Trying to avoid problems’: DC Attorney General is lying in wait during federal takeover - WTOP News

    D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said his office’s first instinct isn’t to a file a lawsuit in response to President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of the city’s police department.

    6
  3. Here's the Home Rule Act. If I squint at it very hard, I could potentially see an argument that "provide ... such services as the President may deem necessary and appropriate" could be broad enough for immigration enforcement. But nothing AT ALL suggests a power to replace the Police Commissioner.

    Trump is invoking Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act, which authorizes him to seize control of the entire DC police department for a maximum of 30 days.

    This is insane stuff. D.C. is not in the grip of a crime wave. Crime has been falling for three years now. Violent crime is at a 30-year low.

    5
  4. Jesus. Pam Bondi just purported to replace the DC police chief and revoke guidance from earlier today that instructed police to continue to comply with DC’s sanctuary laws — laws duly passed by our city council, elected by our voters.

    Even more radical than we’d feared.

    The attorney general's directive comes hours after Smith directed MPD officers to share information with immigration agencies regarding people not in custody - such as someone involved in a traffic stop or
checkpoint. The Justice Department said Bondi disagreed with the police chief's directive because it allowed for continued enforcement of "sanctuary policies."Bondi said she was rescinding that order as well as other MPD policies limiting inquires into immigration status and preventing arrests based solely on federal immigration warrants.
All new directives must now receive approval from Cole, the attorney general said.
    104
  5. “The president orders the military into the capital on an absurd pretense and illegally seizes control of the capital police force” is not a sequence of events that is remotely difficult to interpret, and it’s disgusting to watch our political and media class pretend to not know what’s happening

    i'm kind of blown away by how obvious it is if you're, like, literate. at all. i don't even mean for books, i also mean for movies. i mean that if you have understood things at any point in your life, this is obvious. so it's weird to see people act like they don't understand it

    12
  6. this is just straight-up dictatorship and it’s repulsive and pathetic our newspapers and TV stations still won’t say so. there is no emergency. there is no precedent for this in US history. Trump is establishing military and paramilitary control of the capital

    26