U.S. Marshals Service Director Gady Serralta delivered a pointed message Wednesday on Newsmax by offering reassurance and challenging protesters critical of the Trump administration's expansive law enforcement effort in Washington, D.C.
Serralta, who leads the federal law enforcement initiative in the nation's capital, told "Rob Schmitt Tonight" about early signs of success: more than 550 arrests, 76 firearms seized, and several homicide suspects and sex offenders taken off the streets.
He emphasized the real-world impact, noting that many of those firearms "would have killed people had we not taken them from the bad guys."
When asked about demonstrators who showed up at Union Station to protest Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who were visiting National Guard troops, Serralta was blunt.
"I am in the on the streets where our national and federal law enforcement are patrolling," he said. "I can tell you, sir, that I have spoken to the people in those neighborhoods. They are thanking us every day, every chance they get.
"They tell me that this should have happened 30, 40 years ago. It's a community that has been hurting for decades. And thanks to President [Donald] Trump, we are now doing something about it."
Serralta contrasted this community gratitude with the protests that are being led by mostly wealthy liberals in surrounding areas, highlighting the governing principle that federal action matters to those most affected by crime.
Liberals became outraged over a video widely shared on social media that showed federal law enforcement forcefully arresting an illegal immigrant from Mexico, identified as David Perez-Teofani, 36, earlier Wednesday on the National Mall. ICE told WRC-TV that Perez-Teofani has a final order of removal and had entered the U.S. illegally three times. Perez-Teofani was arrested in Fairfax County in Virginia on Jan. 30, 2024, and was charged with aggravated sexual battery against a minor under 13 and felony indecent liberties. However, ICE said prosecutors dropped the charges in August 2024.
"That's an unspeakable crime," Serralta said. "And folks should listen before they speak. And individuals like that, he's not the only one. He's not going to be the last one either. We're going to continue to clean the streets as per President Trump's request."
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