By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

The FBI has overseen the arrests of nearly 8,700 violent criminals as part of Operation Summer Heat, President Donald Trump and FBI Kash Patel said Wednesday.

Trump and Patel touted the numbers as “historic,” claiming record numbers compared to prior administrations.

“Over the past few months, FBI offices in all 50 states made crushing violent crime a top enforcement priority, and that’s what they did – rounding up and arresting thousands of the most violent and dangerous criminals,” the president said during a news conference in the Oval Office.

Since Trump took office in January, the FBI has reported an 86% increase in arrests, with 28,649 arrests in 2024, compared to 15,388 in 2023, 15,771 in 2022, and 16,864 in 2021.

In addition, the FBI has recorded a 27% decrease in homicides compared to 2024. In June 2024, the national homicide count was 1,402, compared to 991 in June 2025.

“In just seven months…these are the best numbers for fighting crime in US history. And it’s only seven months in. And to do that, our vehicle to do it, of choice was Operation Summer Heat, which the FBI architected to go after violent criminals. And in just a three-month span, you had 8,700 arrests of violent criminals,” said Patel. “You had 2,200 firearms seized off the streets permanently to safeguard our communities. You had 421 kilograms of fentanyl seized. Just to put that in perspective, that’s enough to kill 55 million Americans alone. You had 45,000 kilograms of cocaine seeds, and thanks to our Department of Justice partners, you had 2,100 indictments in three months from June to September alone.”

Patel credited the president for allowing “good cops to be cops” and for putting “the right people in the Department of Justice.”

Patel also touted the 5,400 children that the FBI located, adding that this represents a 30% increase from the previous administration.

He included that gang arrests have risen by 210%, adding that the FBI has also gone after transnational organized crime. The director stated that the bureau has also pursued espionage.

“We have gone after espionage activities against our main counterparts in China, Russia and Iran. In China alone, we’ve had over a 50% increase in espionage arrests alone and prosecutions,” Patel added. “In Iran, we have had a 50% increase again in espionage cases. And in Russia, we’ve had a 33% increase in espionage cases alone. When it comes to counterterrorism, year to date, we have 125 arrests this year versus 100 last year.”

Patel also touted 1900 kilograms of fentanyl that the FBI has seized, adding that the amount is enough to kill 127 million Americans. In addition, 45,000 kilograms of cocaine were seized. The director said that 2,200 firearms have been seized in the last seven months.

In addition to the record number of arrests, the Department of Justice has secured 2,100 indictments.

Trump and Patel were joined by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche during the press conference.

Bondi echoed sentiments from Patel, crediting the administration for empowering law enforcement to do their jobs.

“You have taken the handcuffs off them, and let them do their jobs – and you let cops be cops. That’s why all of this is happening,” said Bondi.

Trump used the press conference to laud the crime crackdown in Washington, D.C. as a success. He indicated that, in addition to Chicago, his administration is also considering going into San Francisco.

The president’s attempts to deploy the National Guard in Chicago have been met with resistance, including legal challenges, by Democrats led by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.