National Guard, federal agents patrol DC to make 45 arrests Wednesday night

Federal law enforcement agents were spotted patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C., Wednesday night as President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown ramped up. 

Personnel from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Secret Service were spotted, largely in groups, around the city in central downtown locations: Metro Center, 14th Street, Logan Circle and Chinatown. Some even ventured into residential neighborhoods. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told “Fox and Friends” that 45 arrests were made overnight, bringing the total to around 100 since the operations formally began on Monday. In addition, 29 illegal immigrants were detained, and three illegal firearms were seized on Wednesday evening. 

At least 400 National Guardsmen have reported for duty as of Wednesday, and a total of 800 will be at the ready by the end of the week. They will patrol the city in rotations, with about 200 out at a time.  An additional 500 federal agents are a part of the White House’s task force to crack down on crime in the district.

Members of DEA and police patrol streets near the Wharf in Washington, D.C. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)

400 NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS DESCEND UPON DC; EXPANDED CRIME CRACKDOWN EXPECTED WEDNESDAY NIGHT

While operations began with a focus on nighttime, they are ramping up into a continuous 24/7 cycle. 

In addition, D.C. police will extend a juvenile curfew zone in the Navy Yard through Aug. 31, police Chief Pamela Smith announced Thursday. The zone was established after police say a juvenile opened fire in the direction of other minors with a stolen gun, though no one was injured. Police say as many as 100 teens have gathered at night and caused trouble in the Navy Yard throughout the summer.

Protests have popped up across the city opposing Trump’s takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the presence of the National Guard. 

One man was charged with assaulting an officer after he threw a sandwich at a CBP agent and called the officer a “fascist.”

“He thought it was funny,” Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jeannine Pirro said of the incident. “Well, he doesn’t think it’s funny today, because we charged with him with a felony.”

INSIDE THE WASHINGTON, DC HOMELESS HOT SPOTS TRUMP HAS VOWED TO CLEAN UP

A police checkpoint stopping vehicles was set up on 14th Street on Wednesday night, and protesters surrounded the checkpoint and shouted, “Go home fascists!” 

D.C. crime statistics show that violent crime hit a 30-year low in 2024; down 35% from the previous year. And this year, it’s down 26% from last year at this time. 

Law enforcement made 45 arrests Wednesday night. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)

But some insist the statistics are inaccurate, and the reality on the ground tells a different story. 

“Look at these 45 victims, all 19 and under, all killed by gunfire in the last 18 months in DC and tell me that crime is down and we don’t need an emergency focus on crimes of violence,” Pirro wrote on X, alongside a picture of the under-20 victims of gun violence. 

The D.C. police union chief, Gregg Pemberton, cast doubt on the statistics showing a massive drop in crime over a two-year period.

Eight hundred National Guard members willl deploy in Washington, D.C., to crack down on crime. (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)

“There’s potentially a drop from where we were in 2023. I think that there’s a possibility that crime has come down. But the department is reporting that in 2024, crime went down 35% – violent crime – and another 25% through August of this year. That is preposterous to suggest that cumulatively we’ve seen 60-plus percent drops in violent crime from where we were in ’23, because we’re out on the street. We know the calls we’re responding to,” he told NBC News. 

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MPD’s 3rd District commander was suspended after MPD said he was changing crime statistics to minimize serious crimes.