DC task force launches ‘summer surge’ ahead of America 250 festivities in city

The DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force is launching a massive “summer surge” of federal law enforcement to ensure Washington, D.C., is the safest city in America ahead of the nation’s 250th Independence Day celebrations.

At a news conference Friday, leaders touted the Trump administration’s success in reducing violent crime in the city since launching the Washington task force last year.

The joint law enforcement operation resulted in nearly 13,000 arrests, the seizure of more than 1,400 illegal weapons, the arrest of 32 murder suspects and the recovery of 23 missing children.

Thanks to aggressive enforcement efforts, overall crime in Washington fell 26 percent, with homicides dropping nearly 50 percent and carjackings dropping 60 percent. The U.S. Attorney’s Office added that it has obtained more than 7,000 convictions in the past year.

TRUMP’S ‘NONSENSE’ Crackdown IN DC EXCEEDS 10,000 ARRESTS AS DOJ DECLARES ERA OF ‘UNCONTROLLED VIOLENCE IS OVER’

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces Serralta speak at a press conference Friday announcing the summer surge of the DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force ahead of America 250 events in Washington, DC. (Kylie Cooper/Reuters)

Officials said a focus of the summer surge will be crushing the “teen takeovers” that have terrorized Washington, D.C. neighborhoods and shuttered local businesses.

Chastising the Washington Council for “refusing to address the problem,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced a zero-tolerance policy that shifts the legal burden onto the parents of young offenders.

Effective immediately, federal prosecutors will charge the parents under a D.C. law for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Parents who drop off their children, fail to supervise them or allow them to skip school to participate in the mayhem will face fines, court-ordered tuition and up to six months in jail.

DC’S U.S. ATTORNEY SAYS ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’ AS YOUTH CRIME SPOTLIGHTS NATION’S CAPITAL

Members of the National Guard walk by as workers apply a coat of paint to the reflecting pool on the National Mall Thursday in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump previously ordered a renovation to paint the drained pool “American Flag Blue” ahead of America’s 250th birthday. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“Law-abiding taxpayers should no longer have to pay for parental neglect,” Pirro said. “Parents, do your job or we’ll do ours. Ultimately, taxpayers will no longer subsidize the chaos caused by parental neglect.”

Noting that the task force “strives for perfection,” officials said several federal agencies will flood the district with personnel and cutting-edge technology to root out remaining criminal networks.

A formal request has been made for the deployment of an additional 1,500 National Guardsmen to Washington, bringing the total troop presence to 5,000 troops.

DC POLICE OFFICIALS ARE AT RISK OF TERMINATION AFTER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION FINDS ALLEGED DEPARTMENT-Manipulated CRIME DATA

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces Serralta speak at a press conference Friday announcing the summer surge of the DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force ahead of America 250 events in Washington, DC. (Kylie Cooper/Reuters)

The task force will also deploy high-visibility patrols, drones, tactical K-9 units and helicopters to combat crime.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said it would increase its resources to target out-of-state drug trafficking cartels, arguing that drug traffickers should be “treated like terrorists.”

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said it will increase its operations to seize illegal firearms trafficked into the city from Maryland and Virginia.

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Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) will double its special agents on the streets to target identity thieves and those who fraudulently obtain housing without paying rent.

In a stark warning to anyone planning political violence in the capital, Pirro said violators would face “the full wrath of the law,” announcing that his office had filed a request for the death penalty against Elias Rodriguez, 31, the suspect accused of killing two young Israeli embassy staffers at the Jewish Museum in the Capitol on May 21, 2025.