Federal Takeover in D.C. Sees Crime Dip — But Immigration Arrests Soar

In the first full week after the White House assumed operational control over Washington, D.C.’s police force, a noticeable shift in law enforcement activity has taken hold across the capital. While initial data show a slight decline in certain types of crime, a dramatic increase in immigration-related arrests has drawn concern and criticism from local leaders.

According to recent crime statistics from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), for the week beginning August 12 — the first full week since federal agencies and National Guard troops were deployed to assist local law enforcement — property crime dropped by roughly 19%, while violent crime was down by about 17% compared to the previous week.

Certain offenses saw significant reductions. Reports of robbery and vehicle break-ins declined by over 40%. However, the picture was not uniformly positive. Assaults involving dangerous weapons rose by 14%, and burglaries ticked up by 6%. Two homicides were reported during the week — in line with previous weeks — but none occurred after August 13, according to MPD data.

Federal agents, now working closely alongside local officers, have embedded themselves into daily operations across the city. They’ve participated in searches, arrests, and warrant execution, often patrolling the streets in unmarked vehicles.

While the administration has touted the drop in some crime categories as a success, another development has sparked alarm among civil rights groups and local officials: a staggering increase in immigration enforcement activity.

In just over a week — beginning on August 7 — roughly 300 individuals suspected of lacking legal immigration status were arrested in the District. That number is more than ten times the typical weekly number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests recorded in the city, according to an analysis by CNN, which reviewed data from the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

Previously, during the first six months of Trump’s current term, ICE averaged around 12 weekly arrests in D.C., a figure dwarfed by the recent surge.

Federal officials have confirmed that ICE agents are actively accompanying MPD officers during traffic stops, street patrols, and community interventions. When individuals are found to be undocumented, ICE agents reportedly step in to make arrests on the spot.

A spokesperson for the White House, Abigail Jackson, defended the federal operation in a statement to the media, pushing back against what she described as efforts to “downplay” the operation’s success.

“These aren’t just ‘moderate’ results,” Jackson said. “These are life-altering changes for countless D.C. residents who haven’t been robbed, assaulted, or carjacked in the past week. The mission is clear — remove dangerous individuals from the streets, regardless of their immigration status.”

The White House maintains that those taken into custody include individuals with active warrants or those accused of committing serious crimes. However, the administration has not released detailed arrest data, and independent verification of charges has so far not been possible.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other Democratic officials have criticized the operation, expressing concern that immigration enforcement — not crime reduction — is the real focus of the federal intervention.

“The federal directive we received focuses almost exclusively on immigration enforcement and the removal of homeless encampments,” Bowser told reporters. She also confirmed that her office is challenging the legality of the move.

The District’s attorney general recently filed a lawsuit targeting a directive from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, which instructs local police to disregard D.C.’s sanctuary city policies — policies that historically limited cooperation between MPD and federal immigration authorities.

However, in an early court hearing, the presiding federal judge signaled that the Home Rule Act may indeed allow the president to override local policies in certain circumstances, potentially granting authority to compel local police collaboration with ICE.

The immigration crackdown has sparked outrage on social media, with viral videos showing ICE agents tackling individuals in public, including delivery workers, and in one case, smashing a vehicle window to arrest two men.

During one night of escalated enforcement, CNN reporters observed law enforcement activity involving firearm recoveries, drug seizures, and a stolen vehicle. Federal agents could be heard over MPD radio frequencies coordinating activity, occasionally warning each other about speed cameras in the area.

Additionally, traffic checkpoints — rarely used in Washington — have begun to appear throughout the city. One particularly large operation took place along a major outbound highway, involving dozens of officers and agents.

Cars were stopped and searched, but officials have not clarified the criteria used to determine which vehicles were pulled over.

As the federal presence continues, D.C. finds itself at the center of a deepening national debate over crime, immigration, and federal authority in America’s cities — with legal, political, and human implications still unfolding.