Congress Just Voted to Eliminate A "Sanctuary City"
We need to talk about Washington D.C.
750,000 tax-paying Americans have no representation in Congress. That's the reality for people who call Washington, D.C. home. And this week, as other “sanctuary cities” like L.A. face imminent danger from ICE raids and military invasion, Congress sets its sights on its next target: the District. Let’s dive in...
Washington, D.C. isn’t a state. Surprised? So was I…when I realized how many Americans don’t know this. Washington D.C. has a mayor and a local council - but no voting representation in Congress. That means when Congress wants to interfere with how D.C. runs its schools, spends its budget, or governs its police, it can. And it often does. Like today.
This week, the House of Representatives voted to overturn two laws passed by D.C.’s local government:
A law giving the city more control over holding its police department accountable
Protections that prevent local cooperation with ICE (aka D.C.’s sanctuary city status)
None of the lawmakers who voted for this live in D.C. full-time.
None of them were elected by D.C. residents.
And yet, they just decided how D.C. polices its streets and treats its immigrants.
This isn't just a political fight over statehood—it's a fight over bodily autonomy, plain and simple.
Because here’s the truth:
When a city’s residents don’t have control over their laws, their budgets, or their police force, they lose control over their own bodies.
D.C. is one of the most pro-choice, civically engaged cities in the country. But its ability to protect abortion access, LGBTQ+ rights, and immigrant communities is constantly under threat—not from its residents, but from lawmakers on the Hill that they didn’t vote for.
D.C. has been pushing for statehood for decades. Why hasn’t it happened?
Because Republicans in Congress know exactly what statehood would mean:
Two new Democratic senators
At least one Democratic House rep
A more liberal Congress that better reflects where the country is actually headed—on abortion, healthcare, education, gun control, and more
The refusal to grant D.C. statehood isn’t about the Constitution—it’s about hoarding power. It’s about silencing a majority-Black, deeply progressive community that consistently votes for justice and equality. And just like every attack on reproductive rights across the country, it's being carried out under the guise of “order” and “safety” - by people who want to decide who gets to live freely and who doesn’t.
How This Affects You
What Congress did to D.C. this week is a blueprint for how they’ll continue to override local protections for reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ communities, and immigrants—especially in blue cities and states.
The same politicians gutting D.C.’s autonomy are leading the charge to ban abortion nationwide. Today it’s D.C.—tomorrow it’s your city.
Denying D.C. statehood is part of a broader effort to suppress the power of diverse, progressive communities—and that affects every national election and every federal law.
What You Can Do
Check the vote: Look up how your rep voted this week - and drag them if they supported this anti-democratic BS.
Support statehood: Tell Congress to stop overriding D.C.’s local laws and support full autonomy. Tell your representatives to support the DC statehood bill.
Amplify local voices: Follow and support D.C.-based orgs like 51 for 51, DC Statehood Coalition, and League of Women Voters DC.
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