Inside ICE: Volume 2, Issue 7

ICE Begins Community Shield With 103 MS-13 Gang Arrests

ICE agents have arrested 103 members of the violent street gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) in six major U.S. cities as part of a new anti-gang initiative called “Operation Community Shield.”

Assistant Secretary Michael Garcia announced on March 14 that since last month, teams of ICE special agents, working with federal, state and local counterparts in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York, Newark, Los Angeles, and Miami, began arresting MS-13 gang members on criminal and/or administrative charges.

The 103 individuals arrested to date are accused of violations that range from felony charges of re-entering the United States after deportation, to violating state anti-gang injunctions, to violating the terms of their immigration status due to prior convictions for attempted murder, sodomy, assault, arson, weapons possession and narcotics violations. Roughly half of these 103 individuals have prior arrests or convictions for violent crimes. Several also have charges of murder pending against them. For example:

On March 13, ICE agents in Los Angeles arrested an individual who admitted he was one of the founding members and leaders of the MS-13 clique in Hollywood, Calif. A former member of the Salvadoran military, the suspect has prior convictions in the United States for robbery, possession of a dangerous weapon and mail theft. He was arrested on administrative immigration violations.

On March 10, ICE and the Long Branch, N.J., Police Department arrested an individual suspected of being the leader of the MS-13 clique in Long Branch. The suspect has a prior criminal history of aggravated arson, weapons possession, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. He was arrested on administrative immigration violations.

Operation Community Shield is designed to disrupt, dismantle, and prosecute violent gang organizations by employing the full range of authorities and investigative tools available to ICE. Under this initiative, ICE is employing its broad immigration authorities (both criminal and administrative) against gang members, as well as its customs authorities in targeting narcotics smuggling, money laundering, and in seeking the forfeiture of assets.

This initiative also involves strong partnerships and cooperation with existing federal, state and local anti-gang efforts. Such partnerships are essential to the success of the initiative and to ensure officer safety during operations. The enforcement actions to date have been conducted in coordination with law enforcement at the federal, state and local levels. ICE will also be working through its 54 Attaché offices overseas to cooperate with foreign governments also experiencing gang problems, particularly in Central America.

The initial target of Operation Community Shield is MS-13, which is one of the largest and most violent street gangs in the United States. The majority of MS-13 members are foreign nationals in this country illegally, making them subject to ICE’s criminal and administrative immigration authorities. ICE coordinates all deportations with the foreign nations receiving these individuals.

At the same time, many MS-13 members derive income from the sale of illegal drugs and other contraband, making them subject to ICE’s counter-drug, financial and other investigative authorities. Seizure and forfeiture of funds, property and other illegally derived assets will be another component of the initiative.

“Operation Community Shield is an important public safety initiative for the Department of Homeland Security that targets the proliferation of gang violence throughout the country,” said Assistant Secretary Michael Garcia. “By bringing the full range of ICE’s immigration and customs authorities in the fight against violent street gangs, we can take hundreds of gang members off the streets and have a significant impact on community safety.”

Operation Community Shield builds on several prior anti-gang initiatives conducted by ICE agents in conjunction with federal, state and local authorities in specific jurisdictions.

In Charlotte, N.C., for example, ICE agents worked with local authorities throughout 2003 to arrest and remove from the United States more than 100 foreign-born MS-13 gang members. In the three years before this operation, approximately 20 homicides in Charlotte had been attributed to MS-13. Since the operation, there has been a dramatic decline in homicides attributed to MS-13.

ICE Begins Community Shield With 103 MS-13 Gang Arrests

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Inside ICE is an e-newsletter produced by the ICE Office of Public Affairs to inform the public about the mission, operations and activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Please send comments and contributions to Russ Bergeron, Editor.

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