The FBI reported substantial gains in its efforts to combat crime and apprehend violent offenders and child predators during the Trump administration’s first 21 months, according to data released by the agency Wednesday.
During that period, the FBI arrested more than 47,000 violent criminals and gang members, marking a 67% increase over the final 21 months of the Biden administration.
Agency figures also show a 13% rise in arrests of child-sex predators and human traffickers, with the total exceeding 6,000.
FBI Director Kash Patel stands with FBI agents in Washington, D.C. The agency said arrests and other key metrics improved during the first 21 months of the Trump administration compared with the final 21 months of the Biden administration. (Courtesy: FBI, exclusively provided to News Outlet)
“Over the last 21 months under the Trump administration’s leadership, and in partnership with the Department of Justice and law enforcement agencies nationwide, this FBI has delivered the largest reduction in violent crime in United States history,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
Patel cited several major figures, including a 30% decline in the national murder rate, a 114% increase in arrests of violent-crime suspects and the seizure of more than 4,600 kilograms of fentanyl — enough, according to the agency, to kill more than 350 million Americans.
FBI REPORTS LARGEST DROP IN VIOLENT CRIME AND MURDER SINCE 1937 AS HOMICIDES FALL MORE THAN 18%
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The FBI arrested more than 47,000 violent criminals and gang members, a 67% increase over the final 21 months of the Biden administration. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Authorities also captured 10 fugitives from the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list — 2.5 times the number arrested during the previous four years. In addition, agents apprehended six fugitives from a newly established “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list within its first four months.
During the Biden administration, Republicans sharply criticized the FBI over allegations of political bias, government overreach and its handling of several high-profile investigations.
Patel said the agency confronted one of the most serious threat environments in U.S. history when Trump began his second term.
FBI agents made an arrest Oct. 22 during a pre-dawn raid linked to suspected medical fraud totaling $1.8 billion in Southern California. (Justice Department)
“This FBI and our law enforcement partners responded by delivering results on a historic scale,” Patel said. “That is what happens when a president backs law enforcement, an attorney general relentlessly prosecutes criminals and dedicated officers across the country carry out their duties.”
