Speaking to the Attorney General's Organized Crime Council and OCDETF Executive Committee Tuesday in Washington D.C., Attorney General Jeff Sessions once again bolstered the Trump administration's promise to take on violent street gangs and to reduce crime in American cities.
"Under President Trump, the Justice Department has zero tolerance for gang violence," Sessions said. "If you are a gang member: We will find you. We will devastate your networks. We will starve your revenue sources, deplete your ranks, and seize your profits. We will not concede a single block or street corner to your vicious tactics."
Sessions specifically focused on the transnational gang MS-13, a group the FBI deems as one of the most dangerous and violent in the world.
"Let me state this clearly. Under President Trump, the Justice Department has zero tolerance for gang violence. Transnational criminal organizations like MS-13 represent one of the gravest threats to American safety. These organizations enrich themselves by pedaling poison in our communities, trafficking children for sexual exploitation, and inflicting horrific violence in the communities where they operate," Sessions said. "MS-13 has become a symbol of this plague that has spread across our country and into our communities. There are over 30,000 members abroad with their headquarters in the El Salvadoran prison system. According to the National Gang Intelligence Center, MS-13 now has more than 10,000 members in at least 40 states in this country – up significantly from just a few years ago."
"Because of an open border and years of lax immigration enforcement, MS-13 has been sending both recruiters and members to regenerate gangs that previously had been decimated, and smuggling members across the border as unaccompanied minors. They are not content to simply ruin the lives of adults—MS-13 recruits in our high schools, our middle schools, and even our elementary schools," He continued.
In 2014, Townhall reported on MS-13's efforts to recruit new members inside Border Patrol housing facilities used for unaccompanied minors.