By Travis Gillmore
Federal law enforcement agencies and the Washington Metropolitan Police Department arrested 2,177 individuals since President Donald Trump federalized the district’s policing about a month ago, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Sept. 9.
“So, you all can be very grateful for this,” Leavitt said during a briefing. “Our great men and women of law enforcement, both federal and local, are working together as they should.”
Police made 57 arrests on Sept. 8, including 14 illegal immigrants, and one suspect was captured with an outstanding warrant for an assault with intent to kill after he allegedly shot two victims following an altercation, she said.
One person was arrested on a warrant for armed carjacking. Another caught by police is a suspect in a homicide and carjacking, which took place in the nation’s capital last night, Leavitt said.
Other arrests included those for possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, felon in possession of a firearm, theft, and destruction of property, among other crimes.
Many of the thousands detained since the operation began had criminal records and violent pasts, according to the press secretary.
“These are the career criminals,” Leavitt said. “These are the bad guys that we are picking up in Washington, D.C., every day.”
She highlighted the president’s intention to expand his crime prevention efforts to other cities nationwide and eliminate criminal justice reform agendas—including cashless bail, reduced sentences, and limited use of incarceration for convicted criminals.
He signed an executive order in August threatening local jurisdictions that enacted cashless bail policies with the loss of federal funds if cash bail protocols are not reinstated.
“The president wants to work with anyone across this country who wants to end these horrible policies and to bring law and order to our streets,” Leavitt said.
“And I think that is proven by his tremendous cooperation with the mayor of Washington, D.C., and our nation’s capital.”
She said Trump believes that “we must incarcerate individuals whose pending criminal charges or criminal history demonstrate a clear ongoing risk to civil society.”
“This is a common-sense and sensible approach that the vast majority of Americans agree with,” Leavitt said.
“When these criminals are caught, they must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and be sent to prison where they can no longer terrorize our streets.”
Trump signaled in a series of social media posts last week that Chicago is the next target for his law enforcement surge.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker rejected the president’s comments about crime and the need for intervention in the Windy City.
“The State of Illinois at this time has received no requests or outreach from the federal government asking if we need assistance, and we have made no requests for federal intervention,” Pritzker said in an Aug. 23 statement.
“The safety of the people of Illinois is always my top priority. There is no emergency that warrants the president of the United States federalizing the Illinois National Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active duty military within our own borders.”
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