FBI Director Kash Patel just sent shivers down the spines of Democrats on Capitol Hill.
The former Trump advisor isn’t pulling any punches in his new role.
And Kash Patel shocked Senate Democrats with this jaw-dropping message about the FBI’s new mission.
FBI Director puts cartels and illegal aliens on notice
FBI Director Kash Patel testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies on Wednesday, where he laid out his priorities for the agency under the Trump administration.
Patel wasted no time getting to the heart of what the bureau has been focusing on since Trump took office in January.
“Since January 20, 2025, the FBI has made over 6,000 immigration-related arrests, 310 arrests of Tren de Aragua members, and 136 arrests of MS-13 members,” Patel told stunned lawmakers.
For perspective, that’s more immigration-related arrests in less than four months than the FBI conducted during Biden’s entire last year in office.
Gone are the days of targeting concerned parents at school board meetings and raiding the homes of pro-life activists. The FBI under Patel is focused squarely on taking down criminal cartels and gangs that are terrorizing American communities.
“Beginning on January 20, 2025, President Trump issued several homeland and national security Executive Orders, to include directing federal government agencies to pursue the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations in the United States,” Patel explained.
This dramatic shift in priorities has already produced remarkable results.
Major Drug Bust and Gang Leaders Captured
Patel highlighted several significant victories in the agency’s renewed war on cartels and violent gangs, including the capture of one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted fugitives – Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, a key senior leader of the brutal MS-13 gang who was apprehended in Mexico.
“This is the third fugitive the FBI and our partners have apprehended since the beginning of this year,” Patel said.
The FBI director also touted a massive drug bust that struck a serious blow to cartel operations.
“Just recently, we announced the seizure of over $509 million in cocaine linked to cartel activity in Florida, and the arrests of 370 illegal aliens – including foreign fugitives wanted for murder – in a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation in Massachusetts,” Patel told the committee.
Patel’s testimony revealed that the FBI has established a “Counter Cartel Coordination Center” to focus the bureau’s resources on combating cartels and transnational gangs that have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations.
FBI moving hundreds of agents out of Washington, D.C. and into the field
Perhaps most shocking to the Washington, D.C. establishment was Patel’s announcement that the bureau is moving hundreds of positions out of the Capital.
“Over the past two months, we have commenced the process to reallocate hundreds of positions from the National Capital Region out to field offices across the country to enhance investigative capacity and provide better support to federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial partners,” Patel testified.
This reallocation will affect 49 of the FBI’s 55 field offices, shifting resources away from the Washington, D.C. bureaucracy and toward fighting crime in communities across America.
“This enhancement to field resources will increase the investigative capacity in 49 of our 55 field offices and will enable the FBI to focus these resources on addressing violent crime, gangs, drugs, counterintelligence, and terrorism threats,” Patel added.
The move signals a clear break from the politicized FBI of the Biden years, when the agency was criticized for focusing on domestic political opponents while ignoring the explosion of crime and drugs pouring across the southern border.
Cyber threats and foreign adversaries remain top concerns
Beyond the focus on cartels and illegal immigration, Patel warned about increasing cyber threats, particularly from China, which he described as “the greatest and most sophisticated cyber threat to U.S. public safety and national security.”
“Last year, PRC actors, tracked publicly as Salt Typhoon, showed their brazenness when they broke into the networks of multiple telecommunications companies to steal customer call records data, compromise the private communications of a limited number of individuals, and copy certain sensitive information related to law enforcement,” Patel testified.
The FBI director also revealed that the bureau is investigating domestic terrorism incidents targeting Tesla vehicles, dealerships, and charging stations across the country, which has resulted in seven arrests.
“These acts of domestic terrorism will not be tolerated, and we will continue to hold these individuals accountable for their actions,” Patel said.
A new era for the FBI
Patel’s testimony represents a stark departure from previous FBI leadership, with a renewed emphasis on fighting actual crime and terrorism rather than politicized investigations.
The Director concluded his testimony by acknowledging the weight of responsibility the bureau carries.
“The threats we face as a nation have never been greater or more diverse, and the expectations placed on the FBI have never been higher,” Patel said. “With the requested resources, the FBI will have the talent, tools, and authorities to do more to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution.”
Americans who have been concerned about the FBI’s direction in recent years may finally have reason to believe the agency is returning to its core mission of protecting citizens from dangerous criminals and foreign threats.
