EXCLUSIVE — One in three arrests made in Washington, D.C. this week were tied to immigration-related offenses, according to federal law enforcement data and sources familiar with President Donald Trump’s federally led public safety operation in the nation’s capital.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post to X on Friday that there had been more than 120 arrests this week in the district. That arrest tally rose to over 189 as of Friday, including 75 Immigration and Customs Enforcement-related arrests, according to data from the U.S. Marshals Service and a senior administration official familiar with the matter.
Per standard procedure, anyone determined to be in the country illegally is handed over to ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, which manages the nation’s civil immigration detention system and oversees removals.
While the Washington Examiner could not verify the names or identities of all individuals arrested on immigration-related charges, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin highlighted one example from Wednesday evening.
McLaughlin said ICE agents assisting a Metropolitan Police Department traffic safety checkpoint arrested Raul Giovanni Quintanilla-Cabezas, a Salvadoran national who overstayed a tourist visa and whose record includes sexual solicitation. McLaughlin said about 150 protesters gathered nearby and directed derogatory comments at ICE and partner personnel.
“Our message is clear: Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States,” she added.
The White House provided a more detailed rundown of Thursday evening’s law enforcement operations, saying those alone resulted in 33 arrests, including 15 immigration-related cases — among them one individual from China — and the seizure of eight illegal firearms. Other arrests included suspects wanted on warrants for first-degree murder and first-degree rape, as well as individuals charged with aggravated assault, drug distribution, and driving under the influence.
One juvenile was arrested on charges of carrying a pistol without a license and possessing crack cocaine with intent to distribute.
Officials said 20 multi-agency teams were deployed across all seven police districts to arrest violent offenders, with more than 1,750 law enforcement and military participants involved.
Meanwhile, the D.C. National Guard has conducted roving foot and vehicle patrols around the National Mall and Union Station, providing security for federal assets and officers but not making arrests. Three multi-agency teams were also tasked with clearing homeless encampments, though the White House declined to identify the locations.
Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar,” said Friday that local police in the district are not being asked to perform ICE duties during the federalization of the MPD, but should coordinate with ICE when immigration violations intersect with criminal activity.
“We’re not asking Metro PD to be immigration officers,” Homan said. “But when you’re enforcing criminal law and when you find an illegal alien … involved with criminal activity, they absolutely should call us. Law enforcement needs to work with law enforcement.”
As for the other two-thirds of arrests made this week, the Washington Examiner could not confirm the exact number of people detained related to Trump’s law enforcement efforts.
Federal court records reviewed by the Washington Examiner show only a handful of federal criminal cases on the docket from the week’s arrests, most of which appeared to involve routine charges such as unlawful firearm possession and child pornography distribution. The likely reason for the low volume of visible cases is that the U.S. Attorney’s Office may also bring charges in the D.C. Superior Court, which has an online case search system that is much more difficult to query without additional identifying information on criminal suspects.
The only notable case on the federal court docket directly tied to Trump’s federal law enforcement push was against Sean Charles Dunn, a former Justice Department contractor accused of throwing a sandwich at a law enforcement officer on Aug. 10. Dunn was charged with felony assault, released without detention, and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 4.
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The 189 arrests reported between Monday and Thursday closely track with the same period last year, when Metropolitan Police Department records show 187 arrests were made between Aug. 11 and Aug. 14, 2024.
A key discrepancy between arrests this week versus last year is the inclusion of federal immigration enforcement operations, which did not take place in the district last year under former President Joe Biden.