At least six states have pledged to assist with the crime crackdown by sending National Guard troops or military police.
Police and federal officers in the Washington D.C. area have made 465 arrests since the federal government took over policing the nation’s capital this past week.
Fifty-two arrests and nine firearms seizures were made just on the night of Aug. 18 into Aug. 19. The suspects included MS-13 gang members, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in her Aug. 19 briefing.
The same day, four homeless encampments were removed, for a total of 48 cleared so far.
Leavitt specified that almost half of all arrests made since the federal takeover, and which were not related to illegal immigrants, occurred in the 7th and 8th wards, east of the Anacostia River. These areas are known for high rates of assault, robbery, and homicide.
President Donald Trump federalized control of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on Aug. 11, ordering about 800 National Guard troops to assist with law enforcement.
“I’m announcing a historic action to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor, and worse,“ Trump said at a White House press briefing at the time. “This is Liberation Day in DC, and we’re going to take our capital back.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an Aug. 19 X post: “Since our mission began, there have been a total of 465 arrests, 68 guns seized, and charges for 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…
“Nearly half of these arrests occurred in the high-crime areas of DC.
“Residents and tourists alike appreciate this extraordinary effort by our DC and Federal law enforcement partners.”
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb stated in an Aug. 11 X post that “the Administration’s actions are unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful.”
“There is no crime emergency in the District of Columbia,” he said. “Violent crime in DC reached historic 30-year lows last year, and is down another 26% so far this year.”
Crime statistics released by the MPD show that crime fell overall by about 15 percent from 2023 to 2024.
