The latest national crime data has revealed a staggering drop in homicides across the country, confirming that America’s murder rate has now dropped to the lowest level in over 125 years.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pointed to newly released crime statistics showing a sharp nationwide decline in violent crime.
Leavitt highlighted that the data validates President Donald Trump’s law-and-order agenda one year after his return to office.
Citing figures compiled by the Council on Criminal Justice, Leavitt said the national murder rate fell in 2025 to its lowest level since 1900.
She attributed the drop to expanded federal law enforcement activity, strengthened border security, and the administration’s focus on removing violent criminal illegal aliens from American communities.
“This dramatic decline is what happens when a president secures the border, fully mobilizes federal law enforcement to arrest violent criminals, and aggressively deports the worst of the worst illegal aliens from our country,” Leavitt said during Thursday’s press briefing.
“The numbers don’t lie.”
Surge In Federal Arrests And Enforcement
Leavitt highlighted a significant increase in federal arrests under the Trump administration, stating the FBI doubled its violent-crime arrests in 2025 compared to the previous year.
She said more than 67,000 arrests have been made since Trump’s inauguration, which the administration says represents a 197% increase over the same time period under the Biden administration.
According to Leavitt, the FBI has also expanded operations targeting organized crime, disrupting 1,800 gangs and criminal enterprises nationwide, a 210% increase from the prior year.
“The FBI has arrested 1,700 child predators and more than 300 human traffickers across the country,” Leavitt said.
“Since President Trump took office, six of the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives have been captured right here in our nation’s capital.”
Crime Declines In Washington, D.C.
Leavitt also pointed to falling crime in Washington, D.C., following Trump’s decision last summer to nationalize the city’s police force and deploy hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops.
“As of last week, D.C. homicides were down 62%,” she said.
Motor vehicle theft dropped 53%, and 2025 recorded the fewest violent gun crimes of any year in available data for the nation’s capital.
More than 2,000 arrests have been made since the federal takeover, according to Leavitt, who noted National Guard members remain deployed as part of ongoing crime-suppression efforts.
Similar Enforcement Strategy In Memphis
The administration has pursued comparable enforcement actions in other cities, including Memphis, Tennessee, where federal agents and National Guard troops were deployed with the support of state and local officials.
Leavitt said nearly 5,600 arrests have been made in Memphis since the deployment began.
“As of last week, aggravated assaults are down 53%, sexual assaults are down 53%, and robberies are down 70%,” she said.
WATCH:
Immigration Enforcement Framed As Public Safety Priority
Leavitt described the administration’s crime strategy as closely tied to immigration enforcement, emphasizing the removal of criminal illegal aliens as a central component of public safety policy.
The White House has repeatedly characterized its focus as targeting “the worst of the worst” offenders while directing federal resources to cities struggling to contain violent crime.
While Democrats have accused the administration of overreach and politicizing federal law enforcement, the White House has pointed to the crime statistics as evidence that its approach is producing results and signaled plans to expand federal enforcement in high-crime areas.
“This is what tough, unapologetic law enforcement looks like,” Leavitt said.
“And it’s saving lives.”
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