U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 1,328 people during a two-week operation called 'Operation Safe Community – Washington, D.C.,' targeting Virginia and Maryland suburbs of the capital from August 1 to August 14, 2026. DHS said roughly 400 of those arrested, about 30 percent, had been charged with or convicted of crimes including murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, DUI, hit-and-run, identity theft, and robbery, and that the group included alleged members of transnational gangs such as MS-13, the 18th Street Gang, and Tren de Aragua. ICE officials said sanctuary policies in some counties led officers to make arrests in public rather than in jails. In the Richmond area, Eygner Wilfredo Huezo-Moran of El Salvador was arrested in Chesterfield and turned over to local authorities on a murder warrant, while Ronaldo Ronel Perez-Perez of Guatemala was arrested in Richmond and remains in ICE custody pending deportation. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin criticized Virginia and Maryland's sanctuary jurisdiction policies, and the operation followed a similar effort in Atlanta, Georgia in July that resulted in more than 1,200 arrests.