U.S. Marshals-led Operation Baltimore Safeguard Targets Fugitives, Makes Multiple Arrests

The U.S. Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force led Operation Baltimore Safeguard in partnership with the FBI, HSI Maryland and the Baltimore Police Department, and Fox Baltimore reported the initiative resulted in 239 fugitive arrests in the Baltimore area. The Fox Baltimore account provided a detailed categorical breakdown of the arrests and identified six of those apprehended as gang associates.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said the broader coordinated effort ran Jan. 20-31 and “brought dozens of federal and state charges against numerous defendants,” and WBFF reported that during that time law enforcement agencies arrested more than 200 violent fugitives and individuals affiliated with organized criminal activity throughout the Baltimore area.

Fox Baltimore’s breakdown lists the 239 fugitive arrests as including eight individuals wanted for homicide, 12 for attempted homicide, 18 for robbery, 108 for assault, 13 for weapons-related offenses, 10 for sexual assault, and 26 for drug-related charges. That categorization provides the most specific numeric accounting currently public; Fox Baltimore supplied the totals and the counts by offense category.

A U.S. Marshals Service release used a different name, describing the work as “Operation Bless Baltimore as a large-scale, public safety initiative.” That naming difference, “Operation Bless Baltimore” in the Marshals Service text versus “Operation Baltimore Safeguard” in local reporting, has not been reconciled publicly and remains a point for clarification from the Marshals Service.

Separately, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it conducted a series of enhanced immigration enforcement operations nationwide Feb. 1-7 that included activity in Baltimore. ICE reported that “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrest an undocumented Guatemalan alien charged with trespassing and possessing a loaded handgun and ammunition in the Baltimore area Feb. 1,” adding that the arrest “was part of a routine daily operation for Baltimore’s ICE officials, who arrested this alien after local officials declined to honor an immigration detainer.” ICE also said federal law enforcement officials conducted a pre-operational briefing in a Washington, D.C.-area parking lot Feb. 4 and that “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field Office Director Matt Elliston and FBI Special Agent in Charge William Del Bagno coordinate ahead of an enhanced enforcement operation in Baltimore Feb. 5.” ICE said the Feb. 5 actions “targeted MS-13 gang members in Maryland” and that Elliston and federal officers took an alleged MS-13 member into custody during an enhanced enforcement operation near Baltimore.

A statement attributed to Fuchs thanked participating officers and emphasized multiagency cooperation: “The U.S. Marshals Service would like to thank all the law enforcement officers involved in this operation for their professionalism, skill, and dedication. Successful operations like this one are a reminder of the value of effective federal, state, and local partnerships in protecting public safety and upholding the rule of law. It should also serve as a reminder that the U.S. Marshals Service and all our law enforcement partners will pursue violent offenders wherever they attempt to hide.” Christopher Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge - DEA, was listed among cooperating agency officials in ICE materials.

Key questions remain about whether the Jan. 20-31 coordinated effort the U.S. Attorney’s Office described is the same campaign Fox Baltimore labeled Operation Baltimore Safeguard and the U.S. Marshals Service referred to as Operation Bless Baltimore, and whether the Fox Baltimore total of 239 arrests covers only the Jan. 20-31 window or includes related early-February ICE actions. Public records and agency press releases from the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, the Baltimore Police Department and ICE would clarify official operation names, start and end dates, and a full accounting of charges by arrest date and arresting agency.