TAKING BACK THE STREETS

[HT:TK]
The growth of transnational gangs has been a dangerous side effect of our failure to control the U.S.-Mexico border and our tolerance for high levels of illegal immigration. Transnational immigrant gangs are spreading out across the United States, researchers found MS-13 activity in 48 states.

The aliens arrested under Operation Community Shield (ICE) collectively represent a significant menace to the public, says CIS. The vast majority (80 percent) have committed serious crimes in addition to immigrant violations, and a large number (40 percent) have violent criminal histories.

ICE gang arrests have occurred nationwide, with the largest numbers made by the offices in San Diego, Atlanta, San Francisco and Dallas:

• Nearly half, or 3,080, of the aliens arrested over the two-and-half-year period studied were affiliated with MS-13 and Surenos-13, another notorious gang with largely Hispanic immigrant memberships.
• Some jurisdictions with serious gang problems had just a few arrests. - These same jurisdictions also had controversial "sanctuary" policies on immigration status in place over the time period studied.

Therefore, policymakers should take further steps to institutionalize partnerships between state and local law enforcement agencies and ICE in order to address gang and other crime problems with a connection to immigration, says CIS.

READ MORE