ICE Says It Arrested 1,328 People Across Virginia and Maryland Over Two Weeks

The Department of Homeland Security says federal immigration officers arrested 1,328 people across Virginia and Maryland during a two-week enforcement operation, disclosing the results only after the effort had concluded.

DHS said the operation, named Operation Safe Community, Washington, D.C., ran from Aug. 1 to Aug. 14. Fox News first reported the total, citing federal sources who described it as among the agency’s most successful operations. Local outlet WJLA reported that most of the activity was concentrated in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, with additional arrests made elsewhere in both states.

According to DHS, nearly 400 of those arrested had criminal convictions or pending charges. The agency listed convictions including robbery, identity theft, hit-and-run, driving while intoxicated, kidnapping, and sexual battery. DHS said arrest histories within the group also included murder, attempted murder, and rape. Officers additionally arrested members of MS-13, the 18th Street Gang, and Tren de Aragua, the agency said.

DHS officials tied the results to both the operation itself and to enforcement tradecraft. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin credited ICE personnel directly, saying, “The brave men and women of ICE are hard at work every single day getting these dangerous illegal aliens out of our country. 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.”

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Acting Assistant Director Patricia Hyde said the results reflected the skill of officers in the field: “Our officers are the best in the world at finding people who do not want to be located.”

“The heroes of @ICEgov arrested OVER 1,300 illegal aliens in just two weeks in Maryland and Virginia. Illegal aliens have NO PLACE in our communities: we will hunt them down and REMOVE them.” — DHS social media post, Aug. 24, 2026

DHS emphasized that the arrests came despite so-called “sanctuary” policies in numerous counties across both states. In Virginia, Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger ended the state’s 287(g) agreements in February, which had previously allowed state corrections officers to transfer inmates directly to ICE custody.

The decision drew criticism at the time from Republican Virginia House Leader Terry Kilgore, who said, as reported by 7News, “She made Virginia a sanctuary state yesterday when she said we’re not cooperating with ICE.” Spanberger later disputed that characterization. In April, she said, “Virginia is not a sanctuary state, full stop.”