As the federal emergency that created the surge of law enforcement and National Guard winds down, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the "useful life" of the Guard in Washington is "coming to an end."
The emergency order expired Sept. 10, but federal officers and National Guard troops extended in the District until November will remain visible in the nation's capital. Bowser stressed the District's public safety mission "doesn't change," but said full authority of the Metropolitan Police Department will return to the city.
The end of the surge does not mean the end of federal law enforcement in Washington.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks at a press conference announcing arrests in the murder of Congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, at the U.S. Attorney's Office, Sept. 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The nation's capital is home to more than two dozen federal police agencies that will continue operating alongside MPD, including the Capitol Police, Park Police and Secret Service, all of which have authority to make arrests.
"The president didn't try to move a new emergency, and the Congress is not moving to extend the emergency, which they have every power to do," she said on Wednesday.
MORE: Washington, DC, residents press Congress to end Trump's federal law enforcement surge
"Immigration enforcement is not what MPD does, and with the end of the emergency, it won't be what MPD does," Bowser added.
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To manage the transition, Bowser signed a new order earlier this month extending the Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center (SBEOC). The SBEOC, created during the surge, will continue to coordinate the city's response, oversee joint activities with federal partners, and press agencies to follow community policing standards such as banning masks and requiring identification during arrests.
Armed National Guard soldiers from West Virginia patrol the Mall near the Capitol in Washington, Aug. 26, 2025.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lindsey Appiah will lead the center, while Deputy Mayor Wayne Turnage will direct efforts around homelessness and encampments.
MORE: Army extends orders for DC National Guard through Nov. 30: Officials
However, Bowser noted, the Guard's chain of command remains an unresolved issue. Unlike states, D.C.'s National Guard reports to the president, not the mayor, a structure she has said for years should change through legislation or, preferably, through statehood.
"For public safety reasons, it's more important that the Guard report to the mayor," she said.