The Trump administration announced Thursday that law enforcement has arrested over 120,000 criminals nationwide since taking office nine months ago. The haul includes 3,200 gang leaders and drug traffickers from groups like MS-13, the Sinaloa Cartel, and Tren de Aragua. Speaking at the White House, President Trump credited the success to tight coordination between federal, state, and local agencies.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the arrests a major blow to criminal networks, emphasizing that these “bad actors” are now off the streets. The effort stems from the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), launched through Trump’s executive orders targeting border security and criminal organizations. The task force unites the Departments of Justice, War, and Homeland Security, along with intelligence agencies and local police.
President Trump described the cartels as a “national security nightmare,” comparing them to ISIS for their brutal tactics, including beheadings, arson, and abductions. “They’ve been attacking America, and we’re hitting back harder than ever,” he said, vowing to dismantle their operations.
Bondi praised Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller for spearheading the HSTF, calling it a historic collaboration. “We’re in constant contact, working as one,” she said. FBI Director Kash Patel echoed her, joking that his task force calls never go to voicemail, just straight to action.
The numbers are staggering. In the past month alone, agents seized 91 tons of drugs: 58,000 kilos of cocaine, 2,300 kilos of fentanyl powder, and over 2.1 million fentanyl pills, plus 1,000 illegal firearms. Patel noted the fentanyl could have killed over 200 million people, saving countless families from devastation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem added that fentanyl crossings at the border have dropped by half. In its first 43 days, the HSTF ran over 400 operations, showing relentless momentum.
Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth highlighted the military’s role, with 10,000 troops now stationed at the southern border to block drug flows. “Our soldiers are fired up, defending their communities,” he told Trump. Hegseth described operations sinking drug boats in the Pacific, each one stopping enough poison to kill 25,000 Americans. His message to cartels was blunt: “We’ll hunt you like Al Qaeda and take you out.”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard discussed a new “intelligence fusion” system linking analysts to law enforcement. It has already led to high-profile arrests, like “La Diabla,” a CJNG Cartel figure accused of horrific crimes, including harvesting organs from pregnant women for the black market.
Miller praised Trump’s leadership, saying: “You’re the first president to take on the cartels head-on. This is the biggest public safety breakthrough in history.” With communities safer and cartels on the ropes, the administration’s fight is just beginning, and America is gaining ground.
