President Donald Trump said he was going to be tough on illegal immigration and crime, and there is no doubt he is living up to his word.
Federal immigration officials have helped arrest more than 1,300 gang members accused throughout the United States in the past six weeks, in the largest anti-gang operation ever, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday.
The announcement of the raid – part of a police operation that began in 2005 – comes at a time when President Donald Trump’s government is attempting to fight street gangs as part of a broader border security and illegal immigration campaign.
A total of 1,098 suspected gang members were arrested on various federal and state criminal charges, while another 280 filed administrative charges related to their immigration status, said Thomas Homan, acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Control Service ( ICE, for its acronym in English). Among them were 384 foreigners who lived illegally in the United States and 61 who had a residence permit.
“The gang members are involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including drug trafficking, arms trafficking, extortion and other crimes with a link to our border,” Homan said.
Hundreds of suspected members of the Bloods, Sureños, MS-13 and Crips gangs are among those arrested in operations between late March and early May, ICE said. Officers arrested 104 alleged members of the MS-13. The immigration agency said the group included five US citizens and three immigrants legally in the country.
The Trump government has said MS-13 presents a particular risk to US communities and is among the most ruthless street gangs.
But he just proved his administration will not stand by and let them take over our streets.
This is just the beginning of Trump’s massive crackdown on illegal immigrant crime, and the word has likely spread across the border.
According to an April report obtained by Breitbart, the arrests of illegal immigrants crossing the southwest border decreased again, marking a shocking 17-year low.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman David Lapan attributed the record numbers to the new administration’s policies, telling Numbers USA, “A lot of discussion about changes in out enforcement policy and the way we are going about doing business, we believe that has deterred people. When you get here, it is likely you are going to get caught. You are going to be returned to your country.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.