The U.S. Secret Service is moving to dramatically expand its presence in the District as federal officials confront a surge in credible threats tied to escalating global tensions and a growing number of flashpoints that have placed the nation’s capital on heightened alert.
The agency plans to add thousands of personnel over the next several years, with a significant portion expected to be assigned to the D.C. region, according to internal planning documents and officials familiar with the effort.
The expansion comes as demonstrations, diplomatic fallout, and security operations linked to U.S. actions in Venezuela and Nigeria, along with continued threats involving Cuba, Greenland, Colombia, Mexico, and other sovereign nations, have converged on Washington.
The pressure on federal protection services became visible in recent days as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was transported through D.C.-area airspace and later moved under heavy guard to federal court in New York. In the hours that followed, protests formed near the White House, the former Venezuelan Embassy in Georgetown, and federal buildings across the city, prompting road closures, K-9 sweeps, and increased Secret Service and Metropolitan Police Department coordination.
Outside the White House, demonstrators questioned the scope of presidential authority.
“What’s stopping Trump from doing this to other countries?” said Zoe Alexandra of the ANSWER Coalition, as protesters gathered along Pennsylvania Avenue.
Law enforcement officials said the demonstrations remained largely peaceful, but acknowledged that the volume of activity, combined with online threats linked to international developments, has stretched resources. The Secret Service is responsible for protecting the White House complex, foreign embassies, visiting heads of state, and major political figures, all within a city that hosts near-daily protests.
Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said the agency’s workload has grown faster than its staffing.
“Our numbers are low to meet those needs,” Quinn said in a published report.
According to a published report, internal projections show the Secret Service aiming to increase its special agent ranks nationwide from about 3,500 to roughly 5,000, while adding hundreds of officers to the Uniformed Division, many of whom would be stationed in Washington. The plan also includes expanding counter-sniper units, emergency response teams, and explosives detection operations that are routinely deployed around the National Mall, Capitol Hill, and diplomatic corridors.
To accelerate recruitment, the agency is offering bonuses of up to $60,000 for specialized positions, including counter assault and hazardous response roles, incentives rarely seen in federal law enforcement.
The expansion comes as America stands as the focal point of international reaction to the Maduro operation. Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued one of the most forceful responses, accusing powerful interests of driving military escalation.
“A clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy,” Petro said. “To keep Epstein’s list from coming out, they send warships to kill fishermen and threaten our neighbor with invasion for their oil.”
The remarks circulated widely among demonstrators in the District and across Latin America, where leaders warned that the seizure of a foreign head of state could destabilize the region. China and Russia condemned the action, while the United Nations expressed concern about violations of international law.
On Capitol Hill, lawmakers from both parties raised alarms about the operation’s legality and its implications for domestic security. Several warned that aggressive actions abroad increase the risk of retaliation at home, a concern that weighs heavily in a city that serves as both political center and protest ground.
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the Secret Service faces a difficult task.
“They are going to have to turn headquarters into a hiring machine,” Napolitano said in a report.
As the nation’s capital prepares for another election cycle, a steady stream of demonstrations, and major international events, officials acknowledge that even a historic expansion may not immediately ease the strain on those charged with protecting the city.
“No matter what,” Quinn said, “it’s still going to be a rough summer.”