(Sarah Roderick-Fitch, The Center Square) Two weeks after declaring “Liberation Day” in Washington, D.C., to combat crime, President Donald Trump signed executive orders to end cashless bail in the nation’s capital, while taking steps to eliminate it throughout the country.
The president signed the executive orders on Monday morning in the Oval Office. The moves threaten to withhold federal funding from states and jurisdictions that don’t comply with his executive action, which could have a major impact on states like California and Illinois.
Touting 11 days without a homicide in the district, Trump moved to eliminate the controversial cashless bail policy that has been in effect in the district since 1992.
“[The order would] ensure that arrestees in the District of Columbia are held in Federal custody to the fullest extent permissible under applicable law, and shall pursue Federal charges and pretrial detention for such arrestees whenever possible, consistent with applicable law, to ensure that criminal defendants who pose a threat to public safety are not released from custody prior to trial,” according the order.
The White House says the policy has contributed to “disgraceful conditions,” adding that the current law is a revolving door for criminals where “dangerous criminals are sometimes rapidly released,” leaving “such criminals free to endanger American citizens.”
Following a decrease in crime since the Aug. 11 executive action, which Trump declared a crime emergency in the district, calling it “Liberation Day,” by deploying the National Guard to patrol the district. The president is setting his sights on other cities, including Chicago, New York and Baltimore.
As part of his effort to combat crime, the president signed a similar executive order Monday to “take steps” to eliminate cashless bail in cities and states that have such policies.
The order directs the attorney general to submit a list of states and “local jurisdictions that have, in the Attorney General’s opinion, substantially eliminated cash bail as a potential condition of pretrial release from custody for crimes that pose a clear threat to public safety.”
In addition, the order directs the head of each executive agency and department to identify federal funds, including grants and contracts, “currently provided to cashless bail jurisdictions identified” that “may be suspended or terminated, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.”
“As President, I will require commonsense policies that protect Americans’ safety and well-being by incarcerating individuals who are known threats. It is therefore the policy of my Administration that Federal policies and resources should not be used to support jurisdictions with cashless bail policies, to the maximum extent permitted by law,” according to the order.
The Trump administration is touting the operation to “Make D.C. Safe Again” as a success, which has netted over 1,000 arrests since the crackdown began.
Supporters of the cashless bail measure argue that the practice of cash bail unfairly harms low-income and minority communities.
