By Jack Phillips
The FBI announced that more than 1,000 arrests have been made across Washington since the federal government took over law enforcement for the city.
In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote that “all federal partners are now at over 1,000 arrests” since the initiative was launched to “clean up Washington DC.”
He added that on Aug. 24 and Aug. 25, the FBI made 26 arrests, performed six gun recoveries, made five drug seizures, and arrested a total of 86 people.
Meanwhile, the White House on Monday touted figures showing that there hasn’t been a single homicide recorded in Washington in the past 11 days, or since the federal government took over law enforcement in the district.
U.S. Attorney for Washington Jeanine Pirro told Fox News in an interview on Monday that more than 1,007 people were arrested and 111 firearms were seized since federalization.
According to data published by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of the District of Columbia, at least 101 homicides have been reported so far in 2025. In all of 2024, 119 homicides were reported.
In a previous update on Aug. 22, Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was put in charge of the MPD, wrote in a statement on X that there have been 719 arrests and 91 illegal guns seized in Washington since the federalization of law enforcement.
“Just yesterday we made 40 arrests, took five more illegal firearms off our streets, and had 36 ICE arrests—including a suspected MS-13 gang member,” Bondi said.
Trump told reporters last week that the city is safer than ever because of his intervention, which he said was a necessary step.
“D.C. was a hellhole,” he said during remarks in the Oval Office on Aug. 22.
“But now it’s safe.”
He suggested that he could extend the deployment of troops and federal agents in Washington, although he did not elaborate on any plans to do so.
“The big question is how long do we stay?” he said.
“Because if we stay, we want to make sure it doesn’t come back. So we have to take care of these criminals and get them out.”
Trump said he would ask Congress for $2 billion to improve the appearance of the city, including resurfacing roads and replacing streetlights. He’s previously pledged to improve the grass of Washington’s parks.
“It’s going to be safe, and it’s going to be beautified,” he said.
The president also told reporters in the Oval Office that he’s prepared to expand anti-crime efforts to other major cities, starting with Chicago. He also said that New York City could be another target.
“After we do this, we’ll go to another location, and we’ll make it safe also,” Trump said, describing Chicago as “a mess” and adding that it “will be our next one after this.”
The Department of Defense confirmed last week that National Guard troops deployed to the city would start carrying weapons.
A Pentagon duty officer told The Epoch Times on Aug. 22 that the “D.C. National Guard remains committed to safeguarding the District of Columbia and serving those who live, work, and visit the District.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.