ICE Sweeps Up 1328 Illegal Aliens in a Historic Washington, D.C. Area Crackdown [WATCH]

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Monday that officers apprehended more than 1,300 illegal aliens during a two-week targeted enforcement operation in Maryland and Virginia, with much of the activity concentrated in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, as reported by Trending Politics News.

The operation, known as Operation Safe Community, resulted in the arrests of 1,328 illegal aliens between August 1 and August 14.

Department of Homeland Security officials described the effort as one of the most successful targeted operations in ICE history.

According to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, multiple ICE sources confirmed that the arrests occurred across Virginia and Maryland, including jurisdictions with sanctuary-type policies.

BREAKING/EXCLUSIVE: DHS tells @FoxNews that ICE has quietly carried out one of its most successful operations in agency history, resulting in the arrests of 1,328 illegal aliens in just a 14-day span in the states of Virginia & Maryland. Nearly 400 of the aliens had criminal… pic.twitter.com/ZCcWuAxxZS

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) August 24, 2026

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The enforcement effort targeted individuals living in the United States illegally, regardless of whether they had a criminal history.

Nearly 400 of those taken into custody had criminal convictions or pending criminal charges in the United States, according to the operation’s reported results.

Among those arrested was Eygner Wilfredo Huezo-Moran, a Salvadoran national wanted by police in Richmond, Virginia, on charges related to murder. Huezo-Moran was also wanted in connection with the use of a firearm in the commission of murder.

ICE officers and U.S. Marshals apprehended Huezo-Moran in Chesterfield, Virginia, before transferring him to local authorities. An immigration detainer was lodged against him pending the completion of criminal proceedings.

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DHS said other individuals arrested during Operation Safe Community had criminal histories involving offenses such as attempted murder, sexual battery, kidnapping, robbery, driving while intoxicated, hit-and-run incidents, and identity theft.

ICE also arrested individuals identified as members of transnational criminal street gangs, including MS-13, the 18th Street Gang, and Tren de Aragua.

Melugin reported that some of those targeted during the operation attempted to flee from ICE officers or resisted arrest.

While much of the operation focused on suburban communities surrounding Washington, D.C., targeted enforcement actions were conducted throughout both Maryland and Virginia.

Additional foreign nationals from El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Jamaica who had violent criminal histories were also apprehended, according to DHS.

The agency said those individuals will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised the officers involved in the operation and criticized sanctuary policies in Maryland and Virginia.

“The brave men and women of ICE are hard at work every single day getting these dangerous illegal aliens out of our country. Over the course of just two weeks in Virginia and Maryland, they arrested sexual assailants, kidnappers, drunk drivers, robbers, and gang members,” Mullin said.

“While sanctuary politicians in Virginia and Maryland keep putting the needs of illegal aliens over the safety of the American people, the Trump Administration will always put American citizens first. By arresting and removing illegal aliens from our communities, we will make America safe again.”

The 1,328 arrests make Operation Safe Community one of the largest targeted enforcement efforts in ICE history.

The operation also comes as the Trump administration continues to emphasize immigration enforcement and the removal of illegal aliens with criminal histories, while sanctuary policies remain a point of conflict between federal immigration authorities and some state and local governments.

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