Washington

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says fear of ICE is disrupting business: ‘People aren’t going to work’ | Fortune

Published

5 months ago

October 15, 2025

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says fear of ICE is disrupting business: ‘People aren’t going to work’ | Fortune

Cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the deployment of National Guard troops have left a lingering sting on Washington, D.C.—so much so that the mood of residents continues to be “very anxious.”

That’s according to Muriel Bowser, the three-term mayor of the nation’s capital, speaking at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit today.

“It’s an unsettling time, and I would point directly to the shifting footprint of the federal government in Washington,” Bowser said.

In August, President Donald Trump declared a “crime emergency” and deployed members of the National Guard, who continue to patrol parts of the city.

Violent crime in the city decreased by 35% between 2023 and 2024, and so far this year, it has decreased by 28%, according to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. (Allies of the Trump administration have opened an investigation into whether police leadership “deliberately manipulated crime data.”) Since the arrival of the National Guard, crime has decreased in the D.C. area. In the first three weeks, violent crime dropped by about 10%. (The city is not crime free—as Trump has claimed.)

But beyond the National Guard, Bowser also pointed to how immigration action has sent a chill across the city. Between Jan. 20 and the end of July, ICE made 85 arrests in the nation’s capital, according to data obtained by the Deportation Data Project and reported by The New York Times. From early August to mid-September, arrests increased to around 1,200.

“What we’re seeing is just devastating impact on unprecedented immigration enforcement, and that has the impact, obviously, on individuals, on their families, on their ability to work, but it also has a big impact on business,” she said.

“People aren’t going to work,” she added. It’s something she expects will have a lasting impact across industries, such as hospitality, tourism, and construction.

Bowser has led Washington, D.C., through a series of unexpected events, including the pandemic and the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. And while some of her actions have disappointed some city residents, such as painting over of the “Black Lives Matter” street mural, she said she’s trying to “do the best that I can for the most people the fastest.”

Bowser said she will announce “at the appropriate time” if she will seek a fourth term next November.

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Washington

Police finish DoorDash delivery after arresting driver in New Jersey

Published

2 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Police finish DoorDash delivery after arresting driver in New Jersey

WASHINGTON TWP., N.J. — Officers in Washington Township, said they finished a DoorDash food delivery after arresting the driver who had warrants out for his arrest.

Body camera video shows officers stepping in to deliver the food themselves, a move the department in southern New Jersey later shared on its Facebook page.

“I thought something happened. Oh my God, I got so scared,” said the customer when she answered the door.

The DoorDash customer, seen on police body cam video, was instantly relieved and appreciative upon learning why officers were at her door.

“Arrested your driver, but, yeah, we delivered your food,” one of the officers said.

It turns out a Washington Township police officer stopped the DoorDash driver during routine patrols in front of a high school over the weekend.

“He made a stop on it for a violation,” said Washington Township Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik.

But then, Chief Gurcsik said the officer learned the driver had warrants out for his arrest in another county.

“He made the officers aware that he had two DoorDash meals in the car that he was in the middle of delivering,” Gurcsik said.

The officers went from cuffing the driver to ringing a doorbell to finish his delivery.

“I never heard of anything like that in the South Jersey area. It’s sort of a first for us here in Washington Township, definitely,” Gurcsik said.

Police finish DoorDash delivery after arresting driver in New Jersey

It’s happened in other places, too, including in New Mexico last summer, when a motorcycle cop delivered someone’s Chick-fil-A order after arresting the driver.

“Hello, sir, got your DoorDash. Oh, thank you,” the officer said. “He’s a good kid, give him five stars. He just didn’t take care of a simple insurance ticket.”

And officers over in Arizona made a similar arrest during a traffic stop and were seen on body camera finishing the delivery.

“Your GrubHub, still delivered your pizza,” the officer said.

“We definitely serve the community in more ways than one,” Gurcsik said.

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Washington

Holdout Democrats leave WA House support for income tax in doubt

Published

14 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Holdout Democrats leave WA House support for income tax in doubt

The votes weren’t there yet late Wednesday for Democrats’ income tax bill in the Washington state House.Democratic members are withholding support for the proposed income tax on millionaires, saying they want to see if a new version of the controversial legislation, possibly due out Thursday, will satisfy their concerns.

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Washington

Bill strengthening Washington child sex abuse material laws focuses on consciousness, AI

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Bill strengthening Washington child sex abuse material laws focuses on consciousness, AI

SEATTLE — A bill aimed at tightening Washington’s laws on child sex abuse material is headed to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk after clearing the Legislature unanimously.

King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said 2ESSB 5105 passed the House unanimously Tuesday night after the Senate unanimously approved it on Jan. 28, 2026.

SEE ALSO | Washington exempts clergy from reporting abuse learned in confession after settlement

Manion called the measure one of her public safety legislative priorities.

“People who peddle in the misery of sexually abused children must be held accountable,” Manion said. “I am grateful for the work of Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Laura Harmon – both in prosecuting these cases and advocating for these legal fixes – and Senators Tina Orwall and Manka Dhingra for championing this legislation.”

Manion’s office said the current state law has gaps that can prevent prosecutors from holding offenders accountable in some cases.

Under current law, prosecutors cannot charge defendants for creating images of child sex abuse unless the child victim was conscious or knew they were being recorded.

The office also said that possessing sexually explicit fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors is not considered child sex abuse material under Washington law.

The bill would update RCW 9.68A.040 to remove the requirement that a child be aware of an abusive recording. It would also update the definition of child sex abuse material to include fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors.

The legislation would also increase the statute of limitations to 10 years for depiction crimes. Manion’s office said the current statute of limitations is three years, and argued that because the images can remain online indefinitely, victims can be re-traumatized for decades.

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