ANALYSIS
Make America Safe Again: Homicides plummet 17% in first half of 2025
A report by the Council on Criminal Justice showed that from January to June 2025, during President Donald Trump’s first months in office, violent crime dropped compared to the same period in 2024.
A crime scene in Milwaukee, Wis.
The Council on Criminal Justice, an independent, nonpartisan organization, reported that crime fell in at least 42 cities across the country during the first half of 2025, between January and July.
The council noted that 11 of the 13 crimes studied saw a decrease compared to 2024.
According to the data, since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, homicides decreased by 17% through June 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, with 327 fewer deaths reported across 30 cities.
Additionally, compared to the pre-pandemic period from January to June 2019, homicides were down 14%.
The report also highlighted decreases in other violent crimes. Between January and June 2025, compared to the same period last year, assaults with firearms dropped 21%, aggravated assaults and sexual assaults each fell 10%, and vehicle thefts decreased by 24%.
A study of 13 crimes in 42 cities
Only domestic violence and motor vehicle theft showed increases during part of the time period studied, while drug offenses remained stable between 2024 and the first half of 2025.
Vehicle and home burglary
Between 2020 and 2023, vehicle theft steadily increased in many cities. However, that trend began to reverse in 2024, with thefts starting to decline. The drop accelerated significantly in 2025, with 25% fewer motor vehicle thefts reported in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2024.
The Council on Criminal Justice also reported declines in residential burglaries (down 19%), non-residential burglaries (down 18%), larcenies (down 12%), and shoplifting (down 12%) during the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
"Every single day we are arresting gang members, murderers, pedophiles and violent predators"
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security echoed the report, linking the drop in violent crime to the deportation of criminal aliens. The department stated, "Every single day we are arresting gang members, murderers, pedophiles and violent predators."
"70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens who have been convicted or charged with a crime. These arrests and deportations of criminal illegal aliens are having real impact on public safety," said Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of Homeland Security.
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