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 extending into parts of Virginia and Maryland, the Department of Homeland Security said.
The operation, called “Operation Safe Community — Washington, D.C.,” ran from Aug. 1 through Aug. 14, 2026. DHS said almost 400 of those arrested had either criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.
The arrest total covers the broader operation area. The public account does not give a separate number for arrests made inside the District of Columbia.
What did ICE say about the arrests?
DHS said the people arrested included individuals associated with MS-13, the 18th Street Gang and Tren de Aragua. The agency did not provide a breakdown showing how many people were linked to each group.
DHS also listed rape, sexual assault, kidnapping, driving under the influence, robbery and attempted murder among the offenses connected to the criminal histories or pending cases of some people arrested.
Those descriptions combine convictions and unresolved charges. A pending charge is an accusation, not a finding of guilt. The information released by DHS does not provide a case-by-case breakdown showing which people were convicted, which were awaiting trial and which offense applied to each person.
What is known about the murder warrant?
One person identified by ICE was Eygner Wilfredo Huezo-Moran, whom the agency described as a Salvadoran national wanted in Richmond, Virginia, on a murder warrant.
ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Huezo-Moran in Chesterfield, Virginia, according to ICE information reported by The Washington Times. He was turned over to local authorities for the Virginia criminal case. ICE said it later sought his transfer to federal custody for deportation proceedings.
The available account does not identify the court handling the case, provide a case number or describe the allegations in the warrant. A warrant is an allegation or legal authorization connected to a criminal case; it is not proof that a person committed the offense.
Where did the operation take place?
Although the operation was named for Washington, D.C., ICE said its enforcement activity also covered the Washington suburbs in Virginia and Maryland. DHS said the operation continued despite what it described as sanctuary policies in some jurisdictions in those states.
Sanctuary policies generally limit how local officials cooperate with federal immigration authorities. DHS did not identify in the information provided which counties or policies it meant.
ICE is a federal agency within DHS. Its officers can make immigration arrests, while local police and courts handle separate state or local criminal cases. An ICE arrest does not by itself establish that a person has been convicted of a crime.
What remains unclear?
DHS and ICE have released the overall arrest figure and a broad count of people with convictions or pending charges, but the available information does not include an arrest roster, charging documents, conviction records or warrants for the group as a whole.
It also does not show how many of the 1,328 people were arrested in each jurisdiction, how many were held on immigration violations alone or how many were transferred to local criminal authorities.
The operation’s announcement came Aug. 24, after the two-week enforcement period ended. No statements from defense lawyers or the individual people arrested were included in the information available for this report.
