Trump announces major cartel crackdown with over 3,000 arrests

Investing.com -- President Trump announced Thursday that his administration has conducted what he described as a "sweeping, unprecedented and historically successful operation" to remove members of foreign drug cartels from the United States.

Speaking at the White House, Trump detailed the results of a Homeland Security Task Force created earlier this year that brings together federal, state, and local agencies including ICE, FBI, Department of Justice, Department of War, DHS, and intelligence agencies.

According to Trump, the task force has made "more than 3,000 and counting" arrests of cartel leaders, operatives, and gang members since becoming fully operational last month. He called it "the largest number of arrests of cartel leaders, operatives and gang members in American history."

The operation targeted several criminal organizations including the New Generation cartel, Sinaloa Cartel, MS-13, and Tren de Aragua. Trump added that his administration has arrested over 120,000 individuals nationwide since January 20.

The task force has seized more than 70 tons of narcotics and over 1,000 illegal guns in recent weeks, according to the president.

Trump was joined by several administration officials including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Also present were Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Law enforcement representatives at the event included Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police; Chris West, president of the National Sheriffs Association; Laura Cooper of the Major Cities Chief Association; Megan Noland from Major County Sheriffs of America; and Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council.

Trump described the cartels as "the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere" and said his objective is to "eliminate" rather than "mitigate" the threat they pose. He vowed to "not stop until the threat has been fully and completely eradicated."

The president also highlighted crime reduction efforts in Memphis, where he claimed numbers are "down in half already" after about two weeks of intervention. He also pointed to Washington, D.C., saying it had transformed from "one of the most unsafe places" to a "totally safe city."

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