The Trump administration is touting results from its sweeping federal crime crackdown in the nation’s capital, with Attorney General Pam Bondi announcing the arrest of an MS-13 gang member as part of a wave of new arrests.
In a post on X Tuesday morning, Bondi declared: “At the direction of [President Donald Trump], our nation’s capital is a SAFER place—and we are just getting started. Fifty-two arrests were made last night, including an MS-13 gang member, and nine firearms were taken off the streets.”
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Bondi added that since the mission began, there have been 465 arrests and 68 firearms seized, with suspects facing charges including homicide, narcotics, and firearm offenses.
At the direction of @POTUS, our nation’s capital is a SAFER place—and we are just getting started.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) August 19, 2025
52 arrests were made last night, including an MS-13 gang member, and 9 firearms were taken off the streets.
Since our mission began, there have been a total of 465 arrests, 68…
She said that nearly half of the arrests have occurred in Washington, D.C.’s highest-crime areas.
“Residents and tourists alike appreciate this extraordinary effort by our DC and Federal law enforcement partners,” she wrote, signing off with the slogan: “Make DC Safe Again!”
Officials said arrests in Monday’s sweep included individuals charged with assault with a deadly weapon, federal parole violations, murder, attempted murder, and assaulting a federal law enforcement officer.
Four homeless encampments were also cleared, bringing the total to 48 since the crackdown began earlier this month.
According to a White House analysis, more than 450 arrests have been made since August 7, with 101 of the 212 non-immigration-related arrests taking place in D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8, areas long associated with high rates of violent crime.
The administration has defended the crackdown as both a public safety measure and a rebuttal to critics.
“Facts are stubborn things,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson posted Tuesday, dismissing reports that federal enforcement amounted to “troop tracking” in the capital.
The Department of Homeland Security has underscored the role of federal immigration enforcement in the initiative.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership, ICE law enforcement is being unleashed to keep America safe from dangerous criminals,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “Our message is clear: Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States.”
ICE operations in the district have increasingly targeted gang members and migrants with serious criminal histories, officials said.
Bondi issued an order nullifying the district’s sanctuary city policies last week and installed DEA Administrator Terry Cole as “emergency police commissioner,” giving him the same authority as the Metropolitan Police chief.
The aggressive enforcement has not come without incident.
On Saturday, DHS reported that an ICE officer suffered a head injury and concussion during an arrest of Cristian Enrique Carias Torres, a Venezuelan national with an outstanding deportation order and multiple warrants in Maryland.
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Video of the arrest, circulated on social media, showed bystanders taunting officers. McLaughlin later said the officer had acted with dignity despite sustaining injuries from Torres’ resistance.
“This illegal alien has shown time and time again total disregard for the rule of law,” she said, warning of a “1,000% increase in assaults” on ICE officers in recent years.