President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel announced a sweeping update on the administration’s nationwide crackdown on violent crime. The numbers show one of the largest law enforcement surges in modern history.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Patel detailed the results of “Operation Summer Heat,” which began in late June.

He said federal agents have made 8,629 arrests, seized 2,261 firearms, and confiscated 421 kilograms of fentanyl along with nearly 45,000 kilograms of cocaine.

Patel added that arrests of violent offenders have increased by 86% compared to the previous administration under Joe Biden.

“This is what happens when you take out the weaponization,” Patel said. “This number is historic by every metric, 28,000 people have been arrested. Violent felons alone.”

In total, Patel said federal authorities have arrested 28,600 violent criminals since the start of the year — a record-breaking figure for a seven-month period.

During the Biden administration, the FBI averaged between 15,000 and 17,113 violent crime arrests each year, according to White House data. The Trump team has nearly doubled that pace through a combination of direct action and coordinated support with local police departments.

The administration’s strategy includes deploying National Guard units to help law enforcement in high-crime cities where shootings and gang violence have soared. The Guard’s presence has freed up police to focus on major investigations and street-level enforcement.

In Washington, D.C., federal officials reported over 3,500 arrests since the city’s Metropolitan Police Department was federalized in August. That move, authorized by President Trump, placed the department under joint control with the Justice Department to combat record levels of violent crime.

The operation has expanded across several other major cities, including Chicago and Memphis. National Guard units have been working with local police in both cities, where drug trafficking and homicide rates have long plagued communities.

In Memphis, the newly formed Safe Task Force has already arrested more than 800 suspects, including several wanted for murder and narcotics distribution.

The results, Patel said, prove that a strong federal response can reverse years of lawlessness. The success of Operation Summer Heat has also strengthened cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and federal task forces, something many officers said was lacking under Biden’s Justice Department.

President Trump has made restoring public safety a central promise of his second term. His administration’s approach focuses on enforcement first — capturing repeat offenders, drug traffickers, and gang leaders — rather than funding programs that fail to address rising violence.

Law enforcement officials briefed on the operation say the data reflects a new tone of accountability from the top. Instead of downplaying crime trends, the administration is emphasizing measurable results and real-world impact.

Trump’s crackdown follows a rise in violent crime that began under the previous administration. The goal, Patel said, is to make streets safer again by returning power to those enforcing the law, not those breaking it.

“These are the results of leadership that backs law enforcement instead of tying their hands,” one senior official said following the announcement.

The administration plans to continue Operation Summer Heat through next year, expanding it into other metro areas with persistently high crime.

For Patel, the mission remains simple: take violent criminals off the streets — and keep them there.