Taken from DCist, where you can read more on the story:
Angry and anxious, a group of protesters confronted Mayor Muriel Bowser last night and demanded that she issue a stronger defense of immigrants in the face of the president-elect’s proposed deportation plans.
“Did I vote for Trump? 93 percent of people in Washington, D.C. voted for Hillary Clinton and I was her number one supporter here—so what exactly are you protesting here?” Bowser shouted back to a crowd that had gathered at the Mount Pleasant Library after an ANC meeting.
“We want you to not make such a weak statement, we want you to say specifically that you will not work with police,” a protester responded, while Bowser interrupted with “what do you think a sanctuary city is?”
Following press conferences from mayors in big cities around the country, Bowser finally issued a three-sentence statement on Monday evening reaffirming the city’s commitment to remaining a sanctuary city, a designation that comes with symbolic power and limited protections for immigrants in the country illegally.
“The values, laws, and policies of Washington, D.C. did not change on Election Day. We celebrate our diversity and respect all D.C. residents no matter their immigration status,” the mayor wrote. “We are a sanctuary city because we know that our neighborhoods are safer and stronger when no one is afraid to call on our government for help, and when our police can focus on protecting and serving.”
When Bowser repeatedly pointed to that statement, people in the crowd shouted back “that’s not enough.”
“We did ask for a firm, public unity press conference with the mayor, with our city council, with leading community organizations, and that hasn’t happened,” one protester said. “We’re facing a fascist maniac.”
