The Trump administration backs down and suspends the appointment of an emergency police commissioner for Washington, DC

The Department of Justice (DOJ) backed down on Friday on its plan to appoint a commissioner to head the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, D.C., after a federal judge threatened to declare the move illegal.

During a hearing, government lawyers agreed to rewrite the order issued on Thursday by Attorney General Pam Bondi, which named Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Chief Terry Cole as emergency police commissioner with full authority over the MPD. The new version will keep him as President Donald Trump's designee to request MPD services, but without displacing Mayor Muriel Bowser or Police Chief Pamela Smith from the chain of command.

Judge Ana Reyes, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, indicated she would grant a temporary restraining order if the DOJ did not change its position. After nearly two hours of private negotiations, the agreement was presented to the court within the 45-minute deadline the lawyers had promised.

Temporary victory for the city, but the dispute continues

The setback represents, at least for the moment, a triumph for local authorities, who are seeking to maintain control of the MPD under their boss, Pamela Smith. However, the judge suggested that the administration might succeed in part of its goal: to have MPD officers cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in operations against immigrants who are in the country illegally.

"If the president declares an emergency with respect to whatnot, and says I want the services of the MPD to help ICE arrest illegal aliens, I don't — I'm not sure that there's anything wrong with that," Reyes said, anticipating additional hearings next week.