Anti-Gang Initiative Leads to 582 Arrests

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have arrested 582 street gang members and their associates in the past two weeks, nearly half of whom are foreign nationals with criminal convictions in the United States.

The sweep covered 27 states and targeted more than 80 violent street gangs, including Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), 18th Street Gang, Latin Kings, Mexican Mafia, Asian Boyz and Jamaican Posse, which specialize in murder, rape, assault, drug sales and immigration fraud.

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Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the operation targeted “those who commit some of the most serious crimes and threaten the harmony and fabric of our society.”

He noted that since March, more than 1,000 gang members have been arrested in the operation, more than 90 percent of whom were illegal aliens.

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