It is the mission of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to safeguard the District of Columbia and protect all its residents and visitors with the highest regard for the sanctity of human life. Our immigrant community is a vital part of the fabric of our city. MPD is strongly committed to communicating with all our immigrant populations regardless of status, by building trust, and safeguarding them and the broader community.
MPD has a longstanding policy that prohibits police officers from asking about citizenship or residency status to determine whether an individual is undocumented. MPD policy specifies that members shall not:
- Question any person about residency or immigration status, unless the police officer is investigating any crime in which immigration status is relevant. (e.g., trafficking or harboring of immigrants)
- Inquire through any database solely for the purpose of getting information about an individual’s immigration status.
MPD works hand in hand with the immigrant community to help prevent and solve crime. We encourage all members of the community to report crime so that we can make the District a safe place to live, work, and play.
MPD Immigration Policy (Amharic)
MPD Immigration Policy (Arabic)
MPD Immigration Policy (French)
MPD Immigration Policy (Korean)
MPD Immigration Policy (Mandarin)
MPD Immigration Policy (Spanish)
MPD Immigration Policy (Vietnamese)
