More than 100 people have been arrested in the nation’s capital since Aug. 7 as President Donald Trump’s law-and-order operation to reclaim Washington ramps up, according to the White House.
As of Wednesday morning, 103 individuals had been taken into custody — including 43 arrests on Tuesday alone — as part of the Making D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, a law enforcement surge created by Trump in March and expanded under his Monday order federalizing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
“President Trump’s bold leadership is quickly making our nation’s capital safer,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said. “In less than one week, over 100 violent criminals have already been arrested and taken off the streets… President Trump is delivering on his campaign promise to clean up this city and restore American Greatness to our cherished capital.”
National Guard and Federal Agencies Join the Effort
Trump invoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act, placing the D.C. police under federal control for 30 days. On Tuesday night, roughly 30 National Guard troops were already deployed, with that number set to dramatically increase by Wednesday evening.
The operation — now shifting to a 24/7 status — is being reinforced by hundreds of National Guard members and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Capitol Police, and others.
Tuesday’s sweep involved 1,450 law enforcement officers, including 750 D.C. police officers. Arrests included:
Law enforcement recovered 24 firearms on Tuesday alone.
FBI: “We’re Just Getting Started”
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the first phase of the crackdown Monday led to 23 arrests, with 10 directly involving FBI support. “When you let good cops be cops, they can clean up our streets and do it fast,” Patel said. “More to come. Your nation’s capital WILL be safe again.”
High-Profile Crimes Spark Federalization
The capital has been plagued by violent crimes in recent years — including the June killing of 21-year-old congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, the May murder of two Israeli embassy staffers, and the August beating of a Department of Government Efficiency staffer.
Trump said these crimes, along with a surge in carjackings, shootings, and attacks on government employees and interns, justified decisive federal action.
