A key part of the FBI’s crackdown against violent criminals has been the agency’s Operation Summer Heat.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel points to a display of captured most wanted fugitives during a news conference in the Oval Office on Oct. 15, 2025. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
President Donald Trump commended the FBI in an Oct. 20 Truth Social post, saying that the agency is doing an “incredible job,” having arrested thousands of criminals and disrupted criminal activity across the nation.
“Since January 20th, more than 28,000 Violent Criminals have been arrested (RECORD BREAKING!), with over 6,000 illegal weapons seized, more than 1,700 child predators and 300 human traffickers taken off the streets, 5,000 innocent children rescued, 2,000 Criminal Enterprises disrupted, 1,900 kilos of Fentanyl (Enough to kill 125 Million people!) taken out—HISTORIC RESULTS,” Trump wrote.
“We are bringing LAW AND ORDER back to America. Kash, Dan, Andrew, and the men and women of the FBI, are doing a tremendous job, MAKING AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!”
He was referring to FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy Director Dan Bongino, and Co-deputy Director Andrew Bailey.
A key part of the FBI’s crackdown against violent criminals has been the agency’s Operation Summer Heat, which ran from June to September and targeted such individuals.
On Oct. 15, Trump and Patel announced that more than 8,700 violent criminals were arrested from major U.S. cities during the operation. About 11,000 murderers were arrested, with roughly half of them wanted for more than one homicide.
Some places, such as Nashville and New Orleans, saw a 250 percent jump in arrests of people whom Trump described as the most violent offenders.
Nationwide, crime fell by 20 percent from the same period in 2024, with Trump calling the recent summer the “safest and most peaceful summer in two decades.”
“There’s still much more work to be done, which is why the FBI continues to work alongside the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security [DHS], and the Department of War to defend law and order and combat violent crime, arrest illegal aliens, and make American cities the safest in the world,” the president said.
“Every American deserves to live in a community where they’re not afraid of being mugged, murdered, robbed, raped, assaulted, or shot.
“And that’s exactly what our administration is working to deliver.”
Multiple FBI offices have released statistics related to Operation Summer Heat, touting its success in cracking down on violent crime.
In an Oct. 8 statement, the FBI’s Baltimore office announced 224 arrests during the operation, including making 62 drug seizures and recovering 17 weapons.
FBI Houston announced the arrest of 64 individuals, recovering 65 weapons and seizing more than 85 kilos of cocaine and 28 kilos of fentanyl. The agency’s Cleveland office revealed that it has made 125 arrests during Summer Heat.
Democratic Opposition, Arresting Criminal Illegals
Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in cities has faced criticism from Democratic lawmakers.
Earlier this month, a group of Democratic senators issued a joint statement warning against what they called “illegal deployments,” according to an Oct. 7 statement from Sen. Alex Padilla’s (D-Calif.) office.
They accused Trump of “stretching the limits” of presidential authority beyond its breaking point and pushing the country closer to authoritarianism.
“Whether in Los Angeles, Chicago, or Portland, the Trump Administration continues fabricating claims of chaos and crime on American streets to justify his false assertions that there is a ‘need’ to deploy troops into our cities—all while literally defunding our police by cutting funding that helps local law enforcement make our cities safer,” the lawmakers said.
The Trump administration’s drive has led to the arrests of more than 480,000 criminal illegal aliens over a nine-month period, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in an Oct. 20 post on X.
She said that 70 percent of these arrested individuals have either been convicted or have pending charges.
What law enforcement has achieved under Trump is “nothing short of extraordinary,” Noem said.
In an Oct. 20 statement, the DHS detailed a new measure at the southern border to deter illegal immigration into the United States.
Operation River Wall is aimed at securing the Rio Grande region against illegals, narco-terrorists, and other criminal activity at the border, according to the department.
The Coast Guard will mobilize more than 100 boats and numerous personnel to secure the roughly 260 miles of the Rio Grande Valley.
“President Trump delivered the most secure southern border in U.S. history in record time, and now, our goal is to make sure it stays that way for the long run,” Noem said.
“The men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard are experts at defending America’s maritime borders–they have been doing that with honor, respect, and devotion to duty since 1790. Now, Coast Guard Forces Rio Grande and Operation River Wall will be a force multiplier in defending against illegal immigration.”
According to the DHS, for five straight months, no illegal immigrant has been released into the United States.
Naveen Athrappully is a news reporter covering business and world events at The Epoch Times.