The Trump administration is following through on its promise to crack down on gang violence, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday, after authorities arrested a top MS-13 leader.
Speaking on “Fox & Friends,” Leavitt praised the operation and vowed it was just the beginning.
“This is what happens when you have competent federal leadership at the top,” she said.
“We are going to continue with the mass deportation campaign that President Donald Trump promised the American public.”
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Officials captured the 24-year-old suspect 30 miles outside Washington, D.C., in a joint operation involving the Justice Department, FBI, ATF, Virginia State Police, and other agencies. Leavitt described the suspect as a “national ringleader of the brutal MS-13 gang” and said Washington-area residents should feel safer after the arrest.
“This took place 30 miles outside of Washington, D.C., where you have politicians and mainstream media journalists who live in this city and who have railed against the president and his crackdown on illegal immigration and on violent crime,” she said.
“They should be grateful that monsters like this are no longer going to be living in their communities.”
Leavitt also blamed the previous administration, pointing to a rise in illegal border crossings under President Biden.
“President Trump and his team are cleaning up that mess by arresting these individuals,” she said.
The press secretary also addressed the Trump administration’s legal battle over migrant deportations, including recent efforts to send alleged Tren de Aragua gang members to El Salvador.
“A radical judge at the appeals court has denied the president and our legal team in the case against the Alien Enemies Act. But we are going to continue to forge ahead in the courts,” Leavitt said.
“Think about how insane it is that we have a Democrat Party, and we have Democrat activists who are judges in our judicial branch, who are fighting against this administration from deporting these heinous individuals. If we have a country where the president of the United States, where the commander in chief, cannot deport foreign terrorists and illegal aliens, the American people are in a lot of trouble.”
Her remarks come after U.S. District Judge James Boasberg temporarily halted the deportation of individuals accused of gang affiliations, citing due process concerns. The judge has requested further details about the El Salvador flight, including when it landed and who was on board. The Trump administration has invoked the state secrets privilege, allowing it to withhold that information.
Leavitt insisted the administration remains undeterred.
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“We will forge ahead in that court case,” she said.
“We are going to continue to deport illegal immigrants from the interior of our country.”
President Trump also weighed in on the MS-13 arrest, congratulating those involved in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“Great job by Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, Tom HOMAN, and Kristi N, on the capture of MS13 leader – A big deal!” he wrote.
Leavitt said the arrest was about more than just one gang member; it was a warning.
“Not only are we taking action on the ground, we are sending a strong message with these visuals to the rest of the world,” she said.
“It just proves that everybody who said we needed a border bill was wrong. We just needed a president who actually wanted to enforce our nation’s immigration.”
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