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The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that federal authorities have arrested 7,000 gang members during the first year of President Donald Trump’s second administration.
The announcement coincided with the one-year anniversary of the president’s second term. DHS said the arrests were carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as part of expanded enforcement operations.
According to the department, those arrested are accused of crimes that include murder, drug trafficking, human trafficking and carjacking.
“In President Trump’s first year in office, ICE arrested 7,000 gang members,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “When we say we are targeting the worst of the worst, this is exactly what we mean.”
McLaughlin said many of the individuals should not have been allowed into the country and accused the previous administration of failing to prevent their entry.
“These vicious criminals murdered, assaulted, robbed and terrorized innocent Americans,” she said. “But under President Trump’s and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership, ICE is turbocharged to arrest even more gang members and make America safe again.”
DHS said those arrested include alleged members of Tren de Aragua, the Latin Kings, the Nortenos, the Trinitarios and the Mexican Mafia.
Kash Patel, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said the administration’s approach has led to a sharp increase in gang enforcement.
“President Trump’s administration is breaking violent gang networks and cartels in America at a record clip,” Patel posted to X. He said the FBI saw a 210 percent increase in gang takedowns in 2025 compared with the previous year.
Patel added that federal task forces working with state and local partners have helped remove violent offenders from communities, contributing to what he described as a 20 percent decline in the national murder rate.