WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (DC Times Online) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 1,328 people during a 14-day operation focused on Washington, D.C., and parts of Maryland and Virginia, the Department of Homeland Security said.
The operation, called “Operation Safe Community — Washington, D.C.,” ran from Aug. 1 through Aug. 14, 2026. ICE announced that nearly 400 of those arrested had either been convicted of a crime or had criminal charges pending.
The agency did not provide a breakdown showing how many people were arrested in the District, Maryland or Virginia. It also did not publicly identify the court records or case numbers for the people included in the criminal-history figure.
What the operation covered
ICE is the federal agency responsible for immigration enforcement inside the United States. Its officers can make immigration arrests, including arrests involving people who may also face criminal charges or have criminal convictions.
The operation primarily targeted the District of Columbia but extended into the Washington suburbs in Maryland and Virginia, according to DHS and ICE. The agencies said the arrests took place despite sanctuary policies in some Virginia and Maryland jurisdictions. They did not identify the specific policies or jurisdictions in the information described by the agencies.
The total of 1,328 is an immigration-enforcement arrest count. It does not mean that all those arrested were convicted of crimes. DHS said “almost 400” had either criminal convictions or pending charges, but the agency did not state how many fell into each category.
A criminal charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt. A conviction means a court has found a person guilty or the person has pleaded guilty. The available information does not provide a complete list of the cases or their outcomes.
What crimes did ICE cite?
DHS said people arrested in the operation included individuals associated with MS-13, the 18th Street Gang and Tren de Aragua. The agency also cited cases involving allegations or convictions related to rape, sexual assault, kidnapping, driving under the influence, robbery and attempted murder.
The agency did not provide individual totals for those offenses or explain how many people had convictions rather than pending charges in each category. The available account also does not include the records supporting the alleged gang affiliations.
The murder-warrant arrest
Among those arrested was Eygner Wilfredo Huezo-Moran, whom ICE identified as a Salvadoran national wanted in Richmond, Virginia, on a murder warrant.
ICE and the U.S. Marshals arrested Huezo-Moran in Chesterfield, Virginia, and transferred him to local authorities for the Virginia criminal case, according to the account of the arrest. ICE sought a later transfer to federal custody for deportation proceedings.
The available information does not identify the court handling the Richmond case, provide a case number or describe the underlying accusation. A warrant signals that authorities are seeking a person in connection with a criminal case; it is not a finding of guilt. No statement from a defense lawyer or court disposition was provided.
What the numbers do — and do not — show
The operation’s 1,328 arrests show the scale of a coordinated federal immigration-enforcement effort in the Washington region. They do not show how many people were ultimately detained, released, transferred to local authorities or placed into immigration proceedings.
The figures also do not establish how many people had convictions, how many faced pending charges, or whether the criminal cases involved offenses committed in the District, Maryland or Virginia. Those details would require arrest records, court filings or a fuller ICE accounting.
For now, DHS and ICE have provided the overall arrest total and a broad description of the criminal histories they say were represented. The agencies have not provided a D.C.-specific arrest count or a full public roster of those arrested.
