The Trump admin is staying the course on deportations. Violent illegals are actively on the run.
But the Trump admin’s latest ICE raid just caught violent criminals in the last place anyone thought they’d be.
Massive Multi-Agency Operation Leads to Arrest of Over 200 Illegal Migrants in Northern Virginia
In a significant crackdown on crime, deportation officers recently apprehended gang members, s*xual predators, and a convicted murderer during a large-scale, multi-agency operation in northern Virginia. The effort resulted in the arrest of 214 illegal migrants, showcasing a coordinated push by federal and state law enforcement to target dangerous offenders.
The operation, led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, unfolded over the first two weeks of March 2025. It focused on individuals tied to transnational organized crime and those with serious criminal backgrounds. According to ICE, the sweep involved collaboration with various federal agencies and state partners, demonstrating a united front against illegal migration and associated criminal activity.
“Our communities in Virginia are safer today because our law enforcement officers stood between them and the danger,” said Russ Hott, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. Field Office Director, in a prepared statement. “During this enforcement operation, ICE and our law enforcement partners targeted the most dangerous alien offenders in some of the most gang-infested neighborhoods in Northern Virginia, and this resulted in 214 arrests.”
Among the individuals taken into custody were three MS-13 gang members, all illegally residing in the United States with documented criminal histories. ICE also detained a Jamaican national previously convicted of second-degree murder, along with two other illegal migrants with prior convictions for s*xual offenses. These arrests illustrate the operation’s focus on removing high-risk individuals from local communities.
The Trump administration has amplified such efforts by expanding immigration enforcement powers. In January 2025, it granted agents from nearly every federal law enforcement agency the authority to assist with apprehensions and deportations. This policy shift was evident in the northern Virginia raid, which saw participation from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and additional state and federal personnel.
“The level of support ICE received from our partner law enforcement organizations was inspiring,” Hott noted. “In the spirit of illicit gang activity, we are making gang members an offer they can’t refuse; leave the United States now. If you don’t, we will find you, and there will be consequences.” He added a stern warning: “We will arrest and prosecute you to the full extent of the law.”
This operation follows closely on the heels of another major ICE sweep in Houston, Texas, where 646 illegal migrants were arrested. Of those, 543 were foreign nationals either charged or convicted of crimes, including 140 with aggravated felonies or violent offenses like homicide, aggravated assault, or domestic violence. The scale of these operations signals a ramped-up approach to immigration enforcement under the current administration.
Since President Donald Trump’s return to office, ICE has arrested 32,809 illegal migrants nationwide, a figure senior officials noted nearly matches the total ICE arrests for the entire fiscal year 2024 under the Biden administration. This surge in interior enforcement contrasts sharply with a dramatic decline in Border Patrol encounters, which have reached historic lows.
In February 2025, nationwide Border Patrol apprehensions averaged just 330 per day, with U.S.-Mexico border apprehensions dipping below 300 daily. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data credits this drop to executive orders signed by Trump, which the administration touts as yielding “the lowest average of nationwide apprehensions in CBP history.”
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons has also criticized the previous administration, accusing Biden officials of misrepresenting arrest statistics. “The Biden administration purposely misled the American people,” Lyons stated, explaining that a recent internal review uncovered tens of thousands of cases falsely recorded as arrests.
“Comprehensive review was done internally here with ICE and we found tens of thousands of cases that were recorded as arrests, when in fact, these instances were illegal aliens that were simply processed and released into the American communities,” he said. “The previous administration counted these arrests, even though no immigration enforcement action was taken.”
The northern Virginia operation, combined with the Houston sweep and plummeting border encounters, paints a picture of a shifting immigration enforcement landscape—one marked by aggressive interior arrests and tightened border security. As federal agencies continue to collaborate, the focus remains on targeting criminal elements within the illegal migrant population, a priority emphasized by both ICE leadership and the Trump administration.
The Federalist Wire will keep you updated on any major news updates from the Trump admin’s deportation efforts.
