FBI Director Kash Patel said President Donald Trump’s “‘Make DC Safe Again’ operation is showing real results,” announcing Thursday that the initiative has surpassed 1,800 arrests, with dozens of guns and drugs seized in recent days.
From Wednesday to Thursday morning, FBI agents reported 28 arrests, 12 guns recovered, 10 drug seizures, and 80 total arrests by federal partners.
Patel said the crackdown is taking violent criminals off the streets and helping restore law and order.
“President Trump’s ‘Make DC Safe Again’ operation is delivering real results,” Patel said. “By working closely with our federal, state, and local partners, we are removing violent criminals from the streets and restoring law and order in our nation’s capital. This is what it looks like when the federal government prioritizes the safety of American families.”
Crime in Washington DC
Trump federalized D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department on Aug. 11 for 30 days under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll wrote in a memo Wednesday that the mobilization would be extended through Nov. 30.
The federalization was originally set to expire next week, and an extension typically requires approval from Congress.
About 30 minutes after Patel shared the latest numbers, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb posted on X that he filed a lawsuit to limit the administration’s actions in the capital. Schwalb said the deployment of 2,300 armed National Guard troops under federal command is illegal.
“D.C. did not request or consent to the deployment of National Guard troops. Yet there are 2,300 National Guardsmen on our streets in military gear, carrying weapons, and driving armored vehicles,” Schwalb wrote.
He added that the deployment violates the Posse Comitatus Act, threatens democracy and civil liberties, and harms D.C.’s economy and public trust.
The White House defended the move, saying the president acted within his authority and that the operation has been effective in fighting violent crime.
