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Mon 1 Aug, 2005 11:43 pm
WASHINGTON - Federal authorities arrested 582 alleged gang members over a two-week period, officials said Monday, targeting an estimated 80 violent groups they say have spawned street crimes across the country.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff (search) called the gangs "a threat to our homeland security and ... a very urgent law enforcement priority."
Investigators picked up most of the offenders between July 16 and July 28 on immigration violations for being in the United States illegally. Seventy-six face criminal charges, ranging from illegal possession of a firearm to holding fraudulent documents.
"For too long, these gangs have gone unchecked -- flouting all laws and demonstrating a blatant disregard for public safety," Chertoff said in announcing the arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. ICE is an arm of the Homeland Security Department.
Investigators targeted members in 27 states of what they considered to be the most violent street gangs, including Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13; SureÉnos; the 18th Street Gang; Latin Kings; the Mexican Mafia; Border Brothers; Brown Pride and numerous others.
Many of the arrests came in large urban areas, including 61 in Boston, 28 in Denver, and 23 each in Los Angeles and Detroit. But even smaller cities have been infiltrated by the gangs, the arrests showed, including 42 in Birmingham, Ala., and one each in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and North Platte, Neb.
The crackdown is part of ICE's ongoing "Operation Community Shield" campaign, targeting gang activity with other federal and state authorities. So far, ICE has made 1,057 arrests as part of the sting.
More than half of them have been members of MS-13, a street gang rooted in Central America where members have been known to behead enemies and attack with grenades and machetes. Federal officials estimate between 8,000 and 10,000 MS-13 members live in 31 states.
"We're just getting started," said ICE investigations chief Marcy Forman.
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This is a major problem in our country. Illegal aliens coming across the border are not always looking for a better life but instead are looking to make other peoples life's hell. Crime is an issue and I'm happy to see Homeland security doing something about it.
Re: Homeland Security is I.C.E. cold! Get'em boys.
Baldimo wrote: Crime is an issue and I'm happy to see Homeland security doing something about it.
What did police (etc) do before there was Homeland Security?
Re: Homeland Security is I.C.E. cold! Get'em boys.
Walter Hinteler wrote:Baldimo wrote: Crime is an issue and I'm happy to see Homeland security doing something about it.
What did police (etc) do before there was Homeland Security?
They didn't pinch anyone for immigration matters because they have no jurisdiction. This will be interesting, to see how it all plays out.
Well, before they became part of the Homeland Security, the ICE did their work as well, or didn't they?
Baldimo
Big deal they picked up 500 or so illegal aliens. When do you suppose they will pick up the other 11 million? Meanwhile the borders remain a sieve. The 500 were probably replenished in about 10 minutes down Arizona way. As to the great job of sleuthing they can pick up many times that number any morning on the streets of any large metropolitan city
Homeland security should at the borders not as an afterthought.
Note: this is the same guy that said that protection of the transit systems is the responsibility of the cities. And that it was not as important as Air travel since terrorism on transit systems only kills hundreds.
old europe
Yes I have to wonder when it was he last rode the NYCity subway during rush hour?
500 may be just a small percentage if illegals, but this is the important part.
this is good news. gotta start somewhere.
i'm so sick of all of this gang s**t. burn 'em all.
Me too. And as much as I advocate not abusing human rights, some of these people need to never be let out again as they reach the point of being sub-human. I realize it's due to harsh circumstances but I don't care. Create a special prison for the litle bastards where they can't mix with other prisoners and let them kill themselves off.
Just a question.
When are they going to go after the gangs with white skin. There are plenty of Irish and Italian gangs and, at least in Boston, many of them are "illegal". They don't seem to even be touching the Asian gangs.
The strategy always seems to start with the brown skinned folks first.
Good question, and for the record, my rant was directed at all gangs, including the white supremacists (and kkk and violent barely human mobs everywhere).
Brown
To answer your query, all criminal activity should be attacked. As for the Italian mob the fed has been kicking the **** out of them for years. Hadn't you noticed? However, rather than making this a thread on perceived racism lets stay the course. Why is the homeland security agency involved in police work rather than "Homeland security"? What than is the function of the FBI and the local police? Is the agencies function to be a secondary police force?
Au,
It seems to me that "homeland security" and race are very closely intertwined.
9/11 prompted a significant backlash against Mexicans.
Go figure.
Brown
I tried to avoid this since I from experience know that anything that touches a minority group equates immediately to racism. The fact remains that the preponderance of illegal's are Hispanic and come thru our porous southern border. In addition the flow of illegals from south of the border continues relentlessly. As for why Hispanics. If you have a fire in a building would you spray water on the one down the street. Like it or not that is the greatest hot spot.
The security of points of entry in places other than from Mexico and to a lesser extent Canada could be improved but is relatively under control. However, from Mexico it is a festering sore. Anyone from any point in the world can enter the US undetected via Mexico, undetected.
Homeland security should be bending every effort to heal that sore.
If you are truly worried about "homeland security"...
There is a very good way to fix the security problem that I would agree with wholeheartedly-- The McCain Kennedy bill. It deals with the security issue, gives undocumented workers (who I care about) a dignified way to come out of the shadows, meets the needs of business and provides a away to track and control immigration. It does all this in a way that both people with hearts and business can accept.
It is you who are trying to block it. No matter how much you yell about "law and order" I will not accept any plan that doesn't treat immigrants, who haven't done anything wrong other than cross a border, with dignity and compassion.
But I digress. I am just pointing out that there is a clear racial theme to all of these issues.
Brown-skinned people are always at the center of these stories.
Brown
How the problem is resolved has not been the question. The fact remains that it must be resolved. First and foremost for the protection of the citizens of "this" nation.
As to in your words why the Brown skinned people. Because that is where the fire is and needs putting out and skin color hasn't a damn thing to do with it. .
Regarding immigration in general. If they ain't legal they don't belong. Yes, I know your feelings on the matter and you of course know mine.
I think it's a stretch to say that they're a threat to Homeland Security. Using this language puts them on the same level as radical Islamists, homegrown terrorists, and other run-of-the-mill mass murdering wannabe's. Gangs have and always will be an integral part of American society...so long as there is an underground and so long as there are disadvantaged and disenfranchised individuals housed within it.
It's all fair and good to take a deep and broad stroke into organized crime, be it white, brown or yellow, but hiding behind the veil of Homeland Security and the Patriot Act just makes makes me cringe a bit.
Walter Hinteler wrote:Well, before they became part of the Homeland Security, the ICE did their work as well, or didn't they?
Sorry Walter, my misreading, I was referring only to local police not the federal agencies.
ebrown_p wrote:If you are truly worried about "homeland security"...
There is a very good way to fix the security problem that I would agree with wholeheartedly-- The McCain Kennedy bill. It deals with the security issue, gives undocumented workers (who I care about) a dignified way to come out of the shadows, meets the needs of business and provides a away to track and control immigration. It does all this in a way that both people with hearts and business can accept.
It is you who are trying to block it. No matter how much you yell about "law and order" I will not accept any plan that doesn't treat immigrants, who haven't done anything wrong other than cross a border, with dignity and compassion.
But I digress. I am just pointing out that there is a clear racial theme to all of these issues.
Brown-skinned people are always at the center of these stories.
Crossing the border is in effect invading our country. They don't have permission to be here and a vast majority of Americans don't want illegals here regardless of who they are or where they came from. Take the time and do the process properly and there won't be an issue.
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