FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Sandra Benavente
Advocacy Manager
[email protected]
January 6, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) — Today, Ayuda applauded District of Columbia Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (Ward 4) for introducing the Safe Community Places and Policing Amendment Act, along with supporting Councilmembers Brianne K. Nadeau (Ward 1), Robert C. White, Jr. (At-Large), Charles Allen (Ward 6), and Zachary Parker (Ward 5).
“Since August 2025, our D.C. community has been terrorized by federal agents and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) personnel working in tandem to arrest Black and Brown residents, turning local policing into a pipeline to detention and deportation. This collaboration violates the Sanctuary Values Act and makes every D.C. resident less safe,” said Sandra Benavente, Ayuda’s Advocacy Manager.
“Ayuda serves low-income immigrant survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and other serious crimes. For months, we have shared with the D.C. Council how fear of immigration enforcement prevents survivors from seeking help and safety. The introduction of the Safe Community Places and Policing Amendment Act shows a commitment on the part of Councilmember George and her colleagues to ensuring that safety in our city does not depend on immigration status.”
Introduced on December 15, 2025, the Safe Community Places and Policing Amendment Act would take steps to limit collaboration between the MPD and federal immigration enforcement. We encourage the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety to give the bill careful consideration in close consultation with impacted community members, and we welcome opportunities to engage constructively with Councilmembers and partners to support efforts that strengthen the bill for the D.C. community.
Find more information about the bill here.
Ayuda has previously testified before the D.C. Council about the importance of ending collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE, including in June 2025 and most recently on December 4, 2025.
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About Ayuda:
Ayuda provides direct legal, social, and language access services to low-income immigrants in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Since 1973, Ayuda has served more than 150,000 immigrants throughout the region. Ayuda is the only nonprofit service provider in the area that provides a wide range of immigration and family law assistance, social services, and language access support for all immigrants – including women, men, and children – from anywhere in the world. Visit www.ayuda.com to learn more.
