President Donald J. Trump lauded the effectiveness of the Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTFs) in targeting drug cartels and gang members during a White House roundtable on October 23. The operation, launched under his administration, has resulted in over 3,000 arrests of cartel leaders, operatives, and gang members, according to Trump’s remarks.
“The task force has made the largest number of arrests of cartel leaders, operatives and gang members in American history, more than 3,000 and counting,” Trump stated, citing the Sinaloa Cartel, MS-13, and other groups as targets. He emphasized the scale of the effort, noting that over 120,000 criminals have been arrested nationwide since his inauguration.
Trump framed the operation as a response to what he described as a crisis, calling South and Central American drug cartels “the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere.” The administration has also escalated military actions against suspected drug-trafficking operations, including strikes on vessels linked to Venezuela.
